SoulSilver--Blast Off!
by Illusion of Insanity
Summary: It's been a little over a year since Kotone started her journey; Team Rocket's disbanded and Johto's at peace. Until Team Rocket comes out of the woodwork and is back for revenge, with a new leader who's more evil than Giovanni himself! Can Kotone and Silver manage to put them in their place? Or will Team Rocket prevail with their new Queen? The fate of Johto rests in their hands!
1. Prologue: Your Worst Nightmare

**Author's Note: Hey there! I'm Illusions Of Insanity and this is my new series, ****_SoulSilver_**_—_**_Blast Off!_**

**I'll be setting down a few basic facts for you before the story starts: Kotone is fifteen in this, while her friends Ethan and Silver are both sixteen years of age. This ****_does not_**** take place after the infamous 'Celebi Event'; that hasn't happened yet in this story. Therefore, Silver is just a guy who hates Team Rocket for no clear reason to Ethan and Kotone. Ethan's name was chosen due to the fact that I didn't know his Japanese name at the time of writing and besides, he plays the role of the best friend in this; it makes more sense to me to give him the English name he receives as your childhood friend. Also note, I replaced Silver's Crobat with a Honchkrow and his Alakazam with a Growlithe. At the time, I didn't care for Crobats and it seems impossible to fly on due to the fact that their wings take up most of their height. His Alakazam was replaced due to personal preference. Also notice that a horizontal line either signifies a time-skip or a switch in viewpoint**—**this series will alternate between Silver and Kotone's viewpoints to allow you to fully grasp the story. There will be bonus/extra chapters that will either feature a different character's view or contain a dream sequence. I've already written up to Chapter 11, so following or bookmarking the story is encouraged. The Chapters will be posted as soon as possible; I'm a fast writer so that helps quite a bit in story writing~! **

**Now that that's out of the way, please read and enjoy the Prologue of ****_SoulSilver—Blast Off!_**** Reviews and critiques are more than welcomed!**

* * *

I couldn't believe my eyes; standing in front of me was the familiar once-pigtailed annoyance, her hair now falling in short, curled waves upon her shoulders, her once vibrant hazel eyes now a menacing and piercing crimson with all traces of her sweet smile gone, as if they never existed. Behind her stood my father, just as tall and maniacal as the day he left me for the stupid band of fools he had just recently lost due to the meddling of a group of teenagers_—children_ who destroyed his life's work in a matter of months. His hands were grasping her shoulders firmly, holding her hostage while he wore a gleaming grin of untold malice.

"So my son...how do you like your little _friend's_ new look? She's simply _breath-taking_, isn't she?" His voice came out as a booming echo, the sheer voice of which brought a migraine headache immediately.

I gasped for my breath for a couple of heartbeats—having lost it to the throbbing in my skull—before I spat back, "What did you _do_ to her?! Leave her alone you-!"

"What's the matter, _Silvy~?_ I thought you'd like my new outfit. You always said I dressed so...so _childishly_ that I thought you would enjoy this little makeover!" Her once silky, song-like cheer had been replaced with a harsh, cold venom, spitting out nails of hatred with every syllable.

It was then I looked down at her attire, my eyes wide with shock. Her cutesy overalls had been replaced with a jet-black jacket and mini-skirt, blacker than the darkest, coldest corners of space. Her exposed skin was pale and void of any warmth, resembling that of a corpse than of a bubbly, joyful girl. While trying to make sense of the change, I became aware of a slow trickle down her chest, droplets of liquid slowly progressing towards the edges of her jacket.

Upon her chest was the insignia of everything I despised, everything I fought against—everything _we_ fought against, as an unofficial team. In bold print was a crimson 'R', Team Rocket's symbol...

**And it was painted upon her chest with fresh blood.**_ Innocent blood, streaking its way down her clothes and landing with audible splutters on the floor._

I could only stand there in that stark white room and gawk as my stomach churned at this revolting sight. It was the Radio Tower all over again, only this time...it was real.

And she was _proud_ of her cowardice; of her betrayal of me, her team _and_ everything she worked for.

"Tut-tut, Silver! You know, it's very rude to stare at a lady—especially with your mouth open." She lifted her head and flashed me a murderous smile that made me feel as if I was about to _vomit_.

I clenched my fists as I choked back a scream. "You're not Kotone... She would never join Team Rocket, she's better than that; _braver_ than that." My attempts of staying calm were shattered by her laughter, similar to that of the murderess in a horror movie instead of the innocent giggle she always had.

"Oh, Silver! You always were so stubborn!" She pulled a plastic card out of her back pocket and waved it in front of my face and continued mockingly, "Would you like to see my Trainer Card, Silvy~? Maybe _that_ will assure you that this is all real!"

I growled as I slapped her hand away, letting the card fall to the floor face up while her stupid superior smirk fell along with it. I glanced down at the card and stared blankly at the photo—or should I say lack of one. Where her smiling face used to be, a empty space resided. The only thing in the picture was a splatter of blood—and I was unable to tell if it was in the photo or a smudge from her clothes. Letting my gaze drift to the edge of the card, I could see that she had left bloodied fingerprints upon the now bio-hazard of an identification card.

I gulped down the rising feelings of nausea and glared at Kotone—or what pretended to be her—as she let out a roar of laughter. My 'father' stood there behind her, no longer restricting her movements but seeming to be encouraging her on with a grin. Kotone walked up towards me slowly, her footsteps echoing with every movement, stopping when she was inches from my rigid self.

"Now Silver, as much as I would _love_ to stay and chat with you~," The last eight of her words were accompanied by her fingertips walking up my chest while the last word was emphasized by a playful poke of my nose, creating an uncomfortable itching sensation which I desperately tried to rid myself of by shaking my head violently. I had the most uneasy feeling that she had left her bloody fingerprints on me as well, as if both of her hands were coated with the same blood that still dribbled down her jacket. "I think we should just cut to the chase~." She gently held my cheek as she went on, her contact making my skin feel like it was on fire-and not in the good way.

I winced as I felt the sweat trickle down the sides of my face and tried to sound unamused by her what I assumed to be strange attempts of seduction. "I have _nothing_ to talk about with you. You're nothing but a Rocket coward, hiding behind that mask of Kotone!"

She simply shrugged and smirked, unfazed by my accusations. "Your father and I are going to lead the new Team Rocket...however I have a little proposition for you." She lowered her eyes before she tightened her grip on my face, her nails digging into my skin. I let out a small hiss of pain. "I want _you_ to lead by my side, Silvy~. I can't imagine anyone else leading the way with me..."

I just stared blankly as I let her words sink into my skull. She wanted _me_ to be a partner in this...this _madness!_ "There's no way I'll _ever_ join you and your cowards!"

"Oh, Silver...don't you see? I'm giving you a chance to be great, to be the _strongest_ there is! You're the strongest man in Johto and _I'm_ the Champion! It only makes sense that you be by my side, Silver. You'll be the King of Team Rocket...and I'll be the Queen~!" She smiled at me, released my left cheek from her painful grasp, stood up straight and crossed her arms, letting her left hand hold out flat in the air beside her—letting me see that her hands were indeed bloody but not enough to drip down her wrists. "Or I could be the King and you'll be the Queen since I _am_ the Champion and stronger than you, either way works~!"

I felt my cheeks grow hot at her offer. _King...? Queen?!_ The thought of having Kotone by my side...wasn't necessarily a _bad_ one. In fact, I liked the thought _way_ more than I should. But this _wasn't_ Kotone. At least, not the Kotone _I_ wanted by my side. My voice was barely a whisper when I let out a small no from my constricting throat.

Her smile twitched as she let her arms fall to her sides. "I'm sorry Silver, what was that?" Her eyes were questioning, but I felt as if she was trying to figure out the best way to destroy me.

I swallowed hard as I attempted to gather my voice. "No. My answer is no, Kotone!" I felt like I was ripping my heart in half before shredding it into tiny flakes...but I had no choice. "I'll _never_ join Team Rocket, even if that places me against _you_, Kotone!" _Even if that places me against you... Me against you..._ The walls echoed my words, effectively slapping me in the face with my own hands.

Giovanni shifted ever so slightly in discomfort; Kotone's lips pursed together as she scowled slight confusion, her hands slowly constricting into fists before she released them quickly. "Are you certain, Silvy~? Those who are against us will be shown no mercy, even if that someone is you."

I let out a snarl as I stormed over to her, stopping when our noses when smashed together. The close proximity made me antsy but I managed to gather up the venom for my retort. "Are you deaf?! I'll _never_ join Team Rocket! You're not Kotone and I'll _never_ stand by your side, I'll always be against you and your filthy, rotten _cowards_!

Her eyes grew wide for a moment as her face scrunched up in preparation for a yell when suddenly...she let her rage drop off her face and was instead replaced with a small smirk and self-satisfied eyes. "Very well Silver, we'll play this game the hard way~." She turned on her heel and started to walk away, stopping when she had passed the now shivering Giovanni. She slowly lifted up her right hand and snapped her fingers.

**"Kill him."**

Suddenly, the room was flooded with snarling Houndooms and screeching Muks, all of them inching towards me menacingly. My head swam as I tried to grasp what was happening. She had just ordered these Pokémon to _kill_ me! She obviously wasn't stretching the facts when she said 'no mercy'. More like no soul if you ask me.

I looked up at her in a fury only to find her leaning against the wall, staring intently as the angry beasts grew closer. Giovanni lifted his head towards me in somber dismissal as he walked towards her side—it was now obvious who was in control here.

"Coward! You're nothing but a cold-hearted coward! A filthy dirty, rotten _coward_! I felt a hot tear race down my cheek as I watched her stare at me, emotionless and unmoving. I could feel a suction on my left leg and glanced down to see to my absolute horror that the largest Muk was trying to envelop me with its sludge-coated body. I thrashed violently in an effort to free my leg but my actions only made the sinking faster.

Kotone slowly rose from the wall and walked leisurely towards me, the advancing Pokémon giving her a wide path through them. She stopped about two feet away from me as she slowly held her chin with her right hand, her right elbow with her left hand. "Hmm, I _could_ make this quick... I do have other things to do today." She paused as she squinted at me with a playful smirk on her face. "Or I could drag this on and make you suffer as much as possible...I would get to see you longer that way~." She then started to tilt her head from side to side as she said each word, like a metronome of death. "Decisions, decisions, decisions~! Oh well! Houndoom!"

A howl rose behind me as white-hot flames hit my calves, making me screech with pain. I fell to my knees in silent agony as the Muk reached my thighs, the burning still fresh even under all of the pressure. The tears descended faster as I struggled to keep myself from screaming any further; if I was going out, I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of hearing me scream for mercy like a weakling.

She watched the Muk grow closer for a while before she sat on her knees in front of me. She let out a chuckle under her breath as she slowly put her arms over my shoulders and leaned closer, stopping when her mouth was right at my right ear and her cold cheek pressed against my own.

"You know what, Silvy~?" She started to whisper, slow and steady as I cringed-I didn't want her this close to me, not _one bit_. "I think I'll keep your jacket as a little souvenir... I've always loved this jacket." Letting out a small laugh she gently unzipped my jacket, slowly removed it from my shoulders and flung it over her own shoulder. I growled as I glared at her. She just grinned as she grabbed my chin as I felt my blood boiling either from anger or from the Houndoom's Flamethrower. "How about a little parting gift Silver? Just to make things easier for you~." Then, much to my frustration and hatred, she softly placed her lips on mine. I felt my face grow hot as I searched for her lip. I was _not_ going to let this rotten woman kiss me, no way, no how! I found it after a quick search and bit down as hard as I could, making her pull away with a squeak of pain. I let a satisfied grin come across my face as her own blood started to trickle down her chin and I swallowed the metallic liquid.

"Fine then! Suit yourself, Silver..." She turned around and started to walk away slowly. By now, the Muk had reached my waist and I felt the agonizing pressure multiply ten-fold. "Oh," She turned her head to look at me with a sick smile, the blood now slowly dripping from her chin. "Say hello to Ethan for me, will you~?" My eyes widened in terror as I felt something hit my left arm and slowly looked out of the corner of my eye only to find Ethan's hat floating on top of the Muk's purple slime. Instinctively, I grabbed for his hat only to find that Ethan wasn't below it. Kotone let out a laugh as the Muk now swallowed both of my arms, leaving only my shoulders, neck and head above the foul-smelling sludge. "Oh, we disposed of him _hours_ ago! I'll pick up his hat later but first, I have to find a nice spot for your jacket so I can always remember the boy who chose his _stupid_, _worthless_ _ideals_ over the chance to rule the world by _my_ side!" She then pranced away towards a door that had suddenly appeared in front of her, barely letting Giovanni leave before the door slammed behind her and disappeared forever.

The Muk was up to my chin now, its slime tasting _far_ worse than the hair-burning stench. I coughed and sputtered as I struggled for breath, watching as the other Pokémon sat, staring at me with sick fascination. _This is it... I'm done. I'll suffocate to death in the endless sludge of this monster! Well,_ I let a weak smile come across my face as the tears sped up to a speed I didn't even know was possible. _At least my team will be safe in their Pokéballs... I just hope they don't take them and enslave them...they're...too good for that._

I gave up struggling as the slime reached my mouth, then my nose and grew closer towards my eyes. The world around me went from white to lavender, purple to violet before finally becoming an all-consuming black, just like the vast emptiness of space. The last thing I remember was all of the pain in my body vanishing—even the constriction in my lungs—like a candle flame on a birthday cake.

Gone without a trace...just like me.

* * *

I leaped up, sputtering and gasping for my breath and drenched with sweat. My surrounding were so unidentifiable that I started thrashing, expecting myself to be in the stomach of that Muk as I suffocated to death. I then found myself getting tangled up in something. I started rolling around and snarling as my limbs found themselves immobilized, which eventually lead to me crashing to the floor like a Kakuna falls from a tree branch. _Wait... the floor?!_ I opened my eyes and started panting for air as the surroundings became quite a bit more familiar—although admitting upside down.

"Silver? Are you alright?!" I looked up to find my Weavile staring anxiously down at my obviously constricted body.

I felt my cheeks grow warm with embarrassment as I bit my lip. Finally, after Weavile had already started to slash through what was apparently the blankets from the small bed I had been sleeping in, I replied with a simple "Humph!".

Feraligatr suddenly wobbled over to my side and nuzzled my hand, making me jump in shock. "You know, Silver... You were screaming in your sleep."

"I was not!" I glared at the duo in frustration. _Screaming in your sleep is what weaklings do, which I'm not!_

Weavile and Feraligatr exchanged a knowing glance before Weavile coughed out with a raise of his eyebrows, "Yeah, you were screaming _her_ name again! So, was it a good dream~?"

I felt my face feel like it was burning as I caught the implied reason behind my so called 'sleep-screaming'. "N-no! Sh-shut up! Both of you go...somewhere else!" I quickly stood up among the shreds of blanket and stormed over to the only source of light in my location, a small window. It was then that I recalled that I had spent the night at the Blackthorn Pokémon Center after a long day of training in the Dragon's Den...and that the shredded blanket didn't belong to me. _Bah! Blankets are cheap and besides, it's not my problem._ As I stared out the window at the starless skies above, I still couldn't shake the awful feeling that the nightmare had been more than _just _a nightmare, that the nightmare meant something.

My stomach churned again and I instinctively grabbed onto it, fearing I may lose the only thing in it—a small fish I had caught with my hands yesterday morning. It was a hard battle, seeing as how the stupid old man in charge of the Dragon's Den snapped my fishing rod in two, claiming fishing was off limits. That and the fact that the fish was split seven ways between my team and I because they wouldn't stop whining for it as I gutted the thing. _I just had a bad piece of fish, nothing more. Shake it off and stop worrying! Worry is for weaklings, Silver._ But, despite how many times I tried agree with that voice, an even smaller voice deep inside of me kept insisting that it meant something.

Stupid weakness. Stupid Kotone! It's all her fault I felt like this, her fault I even was able to be guilt-tripped into sharing the fish, her fault my Pokémon act as if we're all equals and her fault that I even had _any_ weakness. Her weakness is apparently highly contagious and she should be quarantined immediately—the world is full of weaklings as it is.

I slowly realized that I was being constricted by one of Feraligatr's 'hugs'—which was more like a Bind of Death. "Silver, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, you twit! Let me go! You squeeze tighter than Kotone, darn it!" I felt the color drain from my face as he tightened his grip around me. _Besides, I don't want to be interrogated by a Pokémon, darn it!_

Weavile puffed out his chest proudly as wagged a claw at my face. "Silver, we know something's wrong, we're Pokémon remember? Kotone told you before that we can smell emotions!"

I struggled against Feraligatr's grip for awhile before I finally freed myself from his grasp. I stormed over to the small sink and got myself a glass of water—which I drank over-enthusiastically just to show them I was really annoyed with this conversation.

"I'm _fine_. You two get back in your Pokéballs right now; we have another day of training ahead of us and I plan to start before the sunrise today. Now both of you stop this nonsense and go back to sleep!"

"You know, if it's about Kotone you should just call her! Girls _like_ it when you call them, you know." Weavile pointed towards the small coffee table where I had layed down my Pokégear for the night after checking the weather for today.

I snorted as I got another glass of water, ignoring Weavile's stupid comments.

Feraligatr sighed as he added, "Besides, we haven't seen or heard from Kotone for almost a week...it's unlike her."

"..." I swished the small amount of remaining water around slowly, mulling over Feraligatr's observation. _It can't have been a week. That's impossible; she's always around me, it can't have been a week already!_ "We just saw her on Wednesday. She brought me a lunch and she made you all those stupid 'Toppins' or whatever and insisted I eat one too!" _Although it tasted very nice... no it was gross! Yeah, it was disgusting and you should never accept any pastry she makes again! She trying to tempt you into weakness with berries and desserts! Well, I'm not falling for it!_ I shook my head as I internally yelled at myself for accepting the dessert in the first place.

Weavile raised a long claw in the air and narrowed his eyes. "Silver that was _last_ Wednesday and they're called 'Poffins'. We last saw Kotone last Friday and she promised she would call you that Saturday...but she never did!"

"You have to be wrong, she's been around since then..." I focused hard, trying to remember exactly when I saw her last. My heart skipped a beat as I realized that Weavile was right; last Friday was the last day I saw her...and today was Saturday. It had been _eight_ whole Kotone-free days...no wonder I had finished so much this week.

_What happened to her?! This isn't right! She always calls or stops by or something! No, it doesn't matter. She's just a pest and nothing more than a weakling._ I kept telling myself that but somehow...It felt hollow and meaningless, just some dumb repetition of empty lies. And I _hated_ that those words no longer felt right. _What if Team Rocket really did capture her...?_ I found myself walking right past the duo—who were now fighting over what I should do next—and straight to my jacket that was flung over the couch. _What if they're torturing her, trying to get her to snap?!_ I brushed off the fabric and reached for my belt full of my team's Pokéballs that sat on the couch. _What if they've brainwashed her and she's already joined them?!_ I quickly shoved my jacket on and haphazardly put on my belt.

"Silver? What are you doing?" Feraligatr suddenly snapped me out of my trance, looking at me with his head cocked to the side in confusion.

I sighed. _I can't believe I'm doing this. _I picked up my Pokégear and shoved it into my pocket before I turned towards the duo and scowled. "Are you two going to stand their bickering or help me pack up? We're heading out. Now."

Weavile pouted at me and whined childishly in protest. "But it's only two in the morning!"

"Well, if we leave now we can...we can," I hesitated, unsure if I really wanted to leave. _Back out now, Silver. Just drop the subject and tell them to go back to sleep. Then you'll go train when the sun is actually close to rising. Who cares if you haven't seen her in over a week?! She's not your darn problem, is she?! _I swallowed hard, I didn't agree with that at all. "If we leave now we can make it to New Bark Town before noon!" I spat out my answer leaving Feraligatr and Weavile gawking at me.

Finally, after a few moments Weavile spoke up with a gleam in his eyes. "Aha! I knew you liked her, Silver!"

"Shut up, stupid! I just want to challenge her before she runs off to Kanto or some crap like that! Now, get in your Pokéballs!" I held out their Pokéballs, recalling them with the press of a button. Feraligatr went in with a smirk while Weavile dodged it easily as he went on, laughing.

"Maybe you aren't so hopeless after all! You know, I'm certain Kotone would love a rub behind the ears, chicks _love_ being rubbed behind the ears!"

I felt my face burn as I tried desperately to shut him up by putting him back in his Pokéball. "Sh-shut your stupid mouth, idiot! It's not like that! I _hate_ her guts! Besides, that's what Pokémon like, you twit!" I thankfully managed to cut him off right when he started in on 'mating advice', but my face was already probably the same shade as my hair by now.

"Now, we're heading to New Bark Town and you're all going to shut up and sit tight until we get there!" I slammed the door shut behind me as I headed out into the surprisingly bitter, summer evening air. _The sooner we make it to New Bark Town...the sooner I can challenge the nitwit to a battle and the sooner I can leave!_

_...I just hope she's still there...Man, I'm so stupid!_


	2. Chapter One: On The Road Again

***~~*Chapter One: On the Road Again: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

**Author's Note: Hey there guys! Here's the first chapter for you! Just a small reminder, the chapters mainly alternate between Silver and Kotone's viewpoints. To prevent confusion, I will leave the chapter's name and who's viewpoint it is at the top. Please enjoy the chapter! Oh, and the cover will be coming shortly; I need to draw it for you guys since I have a cover planned.**

* * *

My eyes fluttered open and were welcomed by warm rays of sunshine peering in through my window. I clasped my hands together and stretched, pushing away the stiffness of a good night's sleep. "Ah, another great morning, I'm sure of it!" I looked down to see Blitz my Typhlosion still snoring away, his head resting on the edge of my small bed. I smiled as I hugged his neck, effectively waking him from his sleep. "Morning, buddy~! Did you sleep well, big guy?"

Blitz yawned as he sat up on his haunches, his eyes barely half-open. "Good morning, Koto. Those Hoothoot kept me up until way late, unfortunately."

I gave him a small peck on the forehead out of sympathy as I pushed myself out of bed. "I'm sorry to hear that buddy. I hope you didn't try to roast them though..." I headed to the bathroom, certain my hair was a mess from sleeping like a Sudowoodo.

"...No promises, Koto." Blitz shook his head as he smirked, I held back any discipline but instead growled at him under my breath. _You know better than to roast those poor innocent Pokémon just because they were talking to their friends!_

"Morning, Ms. Kotone." A small green capped figure peaked out from inside my giant Snorlax beanbag chair and smiled an innocent grin. I couldn't help but rush right over and twirl him in the air.

"Good morning to you too, Ralts! How's my little baby?" I cooed as he snuggled closer to my chest, letting out a sigh of comfort as he found a cosy spot.

"I'm doing great, Ms. Kotone." Ralts was unfortunately not mine, I simply hatched him for Professor Elm's son. Little Ralts was going to be a birthday present for his tenth birthday, and I'll admit that I was pretty jealous. Ralts was a super cutie _and_ he came all the way from Hoenn as an egg upon the _S.S Maria_, the sister ship to the _S.S Anne_.

"That's wonderful~! Alrighty then, I'm going to get around right now and then I'll make breakfast for all of you~!" At the mention of food, four other heads popped up from their assorted resting places on the floor—or in Rawst the Eevee's case, my Munchlax beanbag chair.

After brushing my hair until my arms felt like they were about to fall off, I managed to tame the wild beast into my two neat pigtails once again. I had changed into my favorite pair of overalls, brushed my teeth and had just started making my bed—all within half an hour, which I'll add is a new personal best. Straightening the covers is a snap when you have seven pairs of hands—well, a pair of hands and six pairs of paws—to help you out. I then gently picked up my favorite Cyndaquil plushie and placed it delicately on the shelf next to the Totodile plushie, returning it to its rightful place in my vast collection of Pokémon stuffed animals. _You know, every time I look at this Totodile plushie I can't help but think of Silver..._

_...Silver..._ "Hmm," I suddenly stopped petting the blue plushie and bit my bottom lip in thought. "AH! I FORGOT TO CALL SILVER ON FRIDAY!" I leaped into the air as I yelled out in frustration and shock, clutching the sides of my head and making my team jump in the air with surprise. "He's probably so mad at me! Oh, how could I forget to call my best friend?! I'm such a bad person! He's probably worried sick and—"

"KOTO! Calm down. I'm sure he's not worried in the slightest..." His voice trailed off as if he realized he probably shouldn't have said it out loud.

"What?!" I spun around to face my partner, who still sat in place with a bored expression. "Of course he's worried! We're best friends and he's my rival! Friends worry about each other!" I pouted at him as he sighed and scratched his ear with a forepaw.

"He wouldn't know a friend if it hit him in the face! Honestly Kotone, that boy is nothing but trouble." He barked out angrily at me, irritation gleaming in his eyes.

I let out a dramatic gasp in protest of Blitz's rude comments. "I don't get it! Why do you dislike him so much?! He didn't do anything to you, Blitz...in fact, you've disliked him from day one! You have to give him a chance, buddy."

"Koto, I don't trust him! He's a thief, a liar and a bully! Besides, don't tell me you've forgotten the Radio Tower incident! How can _you_ trust him after all that?!" He let out a puff of smoke at the mention of the Radio Tower.

I, however, turned such a bright red that I'm sure I shinned brighter than June the Ampharos' tail light. "H-h-he said he was sorry! He thought I was part of Team Rocket and _no one_ wants their friend to be part of those baddies!" _I can still remember how hard he grabbed my shoulders...and that look in his eyes..._ I found myself shuddering in fright; that was the one time I had ever felt _scared_ of him.

"Where is he?! I'll bite his ankles!" Rawst jumped to my side and started barking with a mad look in his eye. Rawst didn't dislike Silver...he just liked to make him upset. I looked down and noticed that somehow Rawst had stolen my hat...again.

"Rawsty, baby~... Hand over my hat, sweetheart." I held out my hand expectantly, slightly annoyed that the small Pokémon kept sleeping on my hat.

"Aww, but I like your hat!" Rawst kicked the ground in submission as I took my hat back and placed it upon my head.

"You know what?" I started walking over to my other team members and gave them all a good morning hug as I changed the subject. "I think we should surprise Silver!"

"By burning him to a crisp?!" Blitz looked up excitedly, his stump of a tail wagging furiously.

"NO!" I wagged my finger at him as I pouted. "We do _not_ burn our friends, Blitz! That's very rude!" I let my display fall as a small smile came across my face. "We're going to go to the Dragon's Den and visit him!" Blitz let out a groan while Rawst simply grabbed my Pokéballs for me.

"Toto? Can I ride on your hat? _Please~_?" Rawst pawed at my shoes while June the Ampharos simply watched beside Joy the Togechick.

"No way! I always walk with Koto!" My fiery starter glared at the small Pokémon as he huffed out with childish jealousy.

"Look," I held up my hands in submission; I want to stop this fight quickly. "Rawst can ride on my hat until we get to the Ilex Forest, then we'll let you walk with me, buddy! Deal?"

The duo stared at each other for a while, the rest of my team nodding in agreement with my plan. Finally, Blitz let out a sigh of agreement. I gave him a quick hug around his neck while I gave him a peck on the cheek, making his flame grow larger in pleasure. "Thank you, big guy~! Alrighty," I started recalling my team into their Pokéballs as I went on. "Let's head to Blackthorn!"

I was almost completely out the door and onto the front porch when I heard a smooth voice call out questioningly, "And where are you going so early in the morning, Kotone Soul? It's barely six o'clock!" Momma had caught me leaving...again.

"I'm just heading to the Dragon's Den to visit my friend, Momma~!" I called back sweetly, hoping she wouldn't make me stay home until noon.

"Are you going to visit that _Silver_ boy again?!" Her head poked around the corner of the staircase towards the bedrooms, her cheeks blown up in annoyance.

"MOMMA! He's my best friend, just like Ethan! You let me visit _Ethan_ at six in the morning!" I pouted as I braced myself for the argument ahead, Rawst shifted nervously under my hat.

"Well _Ethan_ lives next door and I've known him since he was in diapers! This Silver boy I've only known for a little more than a year, only seen on television and newspapers—which wasn't good news—and heard about only from you two children. Besides that, he's a bad influence for you, darling! Can't you bring Ethan along with you at least~?" She cocked her head as I frowned. Ethan was still recovering from the flu and his mother wouldn't even let him leave his room except to use the bathroom—I was lucky enough to have my own bathroom and a closet you could actually fit inside with the door shut.

I held my hands together in a desperate plea as I went on. "Momma! I'm not alone! I have Blitz, June, Rawst, Ralts, Joy and Sheldon with me! Besides, Ethan still has the flu...can I _please _go see him? I forgot to call him since I was so busy helping Ethan with his chores for Professor Elm! He's probably worried sick about me!" I tried to keep my pleading look while I could hear Blitz's ramblings about him agreeing with my mother coming from my belt.

Momma was silent for a while until she finally shrugged and sighed. "Alright, but one of your Pokémon have to be out at all times; I really don't want you two alone. And make sure you're either at a Pokémon Center or home before dark...and _not_ with the boy!"

I smiled as I punched the air above my head in triumph, until I let my arms fall to my sides as I processed the last line. "Momma? Why don't you want me to be with Silver after dark? I'm not scared of the dark anymore!" I puffed out my chest...even though I was lying. The dark... is a very hard fear to overcome, even for the Champion.

My Momma laughed as she shook her head with a smile. "Oh, it's nothing dear~!" I heard her add, "Nothing you need to know about just yet, sweetheart. You're not ready for boys just yet." under her breath. I cocked my head in confusion. _Momma's been acting so strange lately... What does she mean by 'boys'?! I mean...Ethan's a boy and she's fine with him...so why does she dislike Silver? They're both boys so...why act so differently towards them?_

"Oh...alrighty then. Bye, Momma! I promise I'll be at the Pokémon Center before dark and home before noon tomorrow!" I then raced out the door, hurrying before my mother changed her mind.

"AND DON'T FORGET TO CALL ME WHEN YOU GET THERE!" I heard my Momma scream out our front door loud and clear as I raced down the path to Cherrygrove City—which is a personal favorite of mine.


	3. Chapter Two: The Wrong Way

***~~*Chapter 2: The Wrong Way: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! This one switches viewpoints multiple times, so please tell me if it gets confusing! There will be other chapters that switch between Kotone and Silver within the chapter, although this one switches the most if I remember correctly.** **Also note, I have a headcannon that Silver is afraid of bugs. In my imagination, he was almost eaten by an Ariados and her baby Spinaraks at age five, so he'll be amusing in this chapter! So please, read on and enjoy!** **Please don't hesitate to review or critique my work, even if you have already! I love hearing from you and I'll be sure to reply to every one** **of you!**

* * *

"Grr...stupid trees! Stupid Ilex Forest and its stupid bugs!" I swatted the hair above my head, trying to get rid of the sticky String Shot I had walked into. "Bleh! This is so disgusting! It comes out of a Spinarak's _butt_, darn it! Like I _want_ that crap in my hair!" Weavile just laughed until I managed to shut him up by throwing a wad of the sticky strands into his gaping mouth, causing him to cough and sputter.

I had been walking—well, speed-walking—non-stop towards New Bark Town since two in the morning and by seven o'clock, I was already in the dreaded woods of the Guardian of the Forest. I relaxed as I finally managed to rid myself of the pesky threads.

"Silver...you might want to fix your hair. Kotone would appreciate you looking nice when you see her~!" I felt my cheeks go pink as he went on, "Kotone's a sweet girl, you should make a move on her before she settles for that Ethan kid!"

"Shut up! I don't like her and besides, what do I care if she dates Pretty Boy?!" I felt a small flame of anger ignite inside of me as I mentioned Ethan. _He's just as bad as her! Always going on about 'friendship' and 'showing your true feelings'. Idiot! Between him and Kotone...the two of them drive me crazy!_

He just laughed as I swerved to avoid another large Ariados web. "We _all_ notice how you look at Kotone! Silver's got a crush~! Silver's got a crush~!"

I snapped as my face grew as hot as it was early this morning. "I do not! Love is for weaklings! It is nothing but a lie that's used to trap the weak-minded! It doesn't exist and I _certainly_ don't feel anything but raw hatred for that sniffling, pathetic, weakling pest Kotone! Do you hear me?! I'm not in love, darn you! So cut the crap and shut your mouth!" I stopped my rant, panting for breath with my fists clenched so tight I was digging into my palms. Weavile just blinked at me, motionless and unimpressed by my show of rejection.

Finally, he sighed as he mumbled. "I take it back, you are hopeless."

I growled as I slowly released my fists and stared blankly at the fork ahead of us. _Great...now which one was the one with less bugs?_ I stared at the left path and the at the right path—which was covered in large Ariados webs.

He smirked at me as he chuckled, "We might as well take the left path since you're _scared_ of a few measly bug Pokémon!" I just scowled at him as I let out a huff.

"I'm not scared of anything and certainly _not_ some idiot Spinarak! We're taking the right path; you could use the extra training anyway!" So without waiting to hear Weavile's complaints, I walked straight into the pathway of webs, withholding the inner protests of touching anything that came out of a bug Pokemon's behind.

* * *

*~~*Kotone's Viewpoint*~~*

"Alright, Blitz! Use Flamethrower on that little tree! But," I quickly added among my excited yelling. "Don't catch anything else on fire, alrighty~?"

Blitz puffed out his chest with pride. "That's way easy, Koto!" He let out a burst of bright red flames and incinerated the scrawny tree in a matter of seconds. "You know, you gotta wonder how this tree grows back so fast..."

"Hmm," I held my chin for a moment in thought, then pointed excitedly straight at Celebi's shrine. "It must be the magic of Celebi!" I smiled as I held my waist in pride while Blitz simply slammed his paw into his forehead. "C'mon, buddy! Let's go!" As we walked past the shine I could help but wave at the cute monument and whisper hello to the even cuter Celebi who lived there. Sure, I've never seen Celebi but others have. Besides, I hope I could meet such a cutie someday!

"You know, we've had a whole lot of great memories here, haven't we?" I smiled as Blitz nodded in agreement. "Like the time we all had a picnic with Ethan and watched the Butterfree migration!"

"And a Spinarak landed on your sandwich right as you were about to take a bite." Blitz cut in with a smirk on his face. _He had nearly roasted the poor dear for startling me!_

"Alright I'll admit the Spinarak part wasn't as nice... but remember the time we helped catch those Farfetch'd? Oh, or the time we saved the Kimono Girl who was lost?" I added to the list of memories as I walked on down the winding pathways cloaked in dappled sunlight.

I stopped short when I came to a fork in the path and stared down the left side. I then took a glance down the right and noticed all of the Ariados webs. "Hmm...which one's the shortest path again? The right path, right?"

"Koto! It's the left one!" He pointed down the path ahead of us with his large, right forepaw. "The right path swerves around that little stream and is filled with Ariados webs this time of year."

"Oh, that's right!" I nodded, smiling at my unamused partner. "I _always_ get those two mixed up! You'd think I'd remember it by now... Good think you told me, Blitz; it's not a good idea to travel through all of those Ariados nests!" I then went on ahead down the left path with confidence as Blitz brought up the rear.

**Crack!**

About halfway down the path, I heard the familiar sound of a tree branch snapping, followed by a short bit of snickers. I let a smile come across my face as I turned to the side to stare through the thick undergrowth and tree beside me. I could just faintly see a couple of patches of navy blue and crimson, some of the crimson high above the other. I cocked my head with interest as Blitz stopped short behind me and did the same.

_That's a tad odd...No one usually travels down that path this time of year. Whoever it is, they must be very brave!_ I choked to hold back a laugh as a short, high-pitched scream leaked its way through the plants.

"Spinarak~!" _Ah, a little Spinarak must have fallen on that girl's head._ I could see the fat bright green blob through the foliage, followed by the snickering growing considerably louder. _Her Pokémon sounds very happy~!_ The figure swatted at it for a while before the Spinarak took off. I then felt my face burn as a pink blotch became visible, most likely her face. _Bad Kotone! It's not nice to stare!_ I quickly scurried along the path, hoping the girl hadn't noticed my presence.

* * *

*~~*Silver's Viewpoint*~~*

_So...many...Ariados webs!_ I struggled to stay calm as I walked through the mine field of webbing. I finally lost it when I walked straight into an especially large one head-on...with my mouth open. _Bleh! Gross! SO DISGUSTING, IT'S IN MY MOUTH I HATE BUG POKEMON, I SWEAR BY LUGIA'S DORSAL FINS!_ I swatted above my head and pulled on the extremely sticky strands as Weavile snickered at my misfortune.

I slammed into the tree beside me and managed to scrape off the webs, the force breaking off one of the branches with a loud crack. I panted as I tried to regain my composure, sending Weavile's smirking face plenty of daggers. After regaining my breath to a steady pace, I stood upright as I happened to catch a spot of movement through the dense plants. I could just barely make out some patches of white, brown, pink and blue, followed by more patches of a navy blue and yellow. _What idiot would wear such bright clothes in the woods?! Weakling._ The colors suddenly stopped moving abruptly as I felt my ears burning. I looked away quickly and started to continue on my way when something hit my head with a squish, making me let out an embarrassingly high-pitched scream.

"SPINARAK~!" _OH LUGIA HELP ME, IT'S A DARN BUG POKEMON! GET IT OFF!_ I mentally screeched repeatedly as I swatted above my head while Weavile rolled on the floor, snickering louder than I even thought possible. After what felt like centuries the Spinarak let out a String Shot to the farthest tree possible from me and zipped away. I panted angrily as it left. _COWARD! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A REAL POKEMON, YOU WEAKLING!_

I happened to slowly turn my head towards the figure again and in doing so the weakling sped off towards the way I came. The navy blue and yellow figure—which was very fat and slow looking—hung around for a while, sniffing through to my side of the tree. _Back off, you stupid oaf!_ I cringed as it stopped in front of my face before it let out a sneeze of thick, black smoke. _EHUGH! _I coughed as I tried to swat the thing on the nose, but I heard the thud of heavy footsteps retreating. _That's right, you better leave!_

The smoke was so thick that it was still behind us as we went on, I couldn't help but cough. Weavile suddenly muttered, "You know...I thought I smelled Kotone back there..."

I turned sharply and glared through the smoke down at the Sharp Claw Pokémon. "You're just trying to taunt me, Weavile! I'm not turning around and frankly, I don't care!"

"SILVER, I'M SERIOUS!" He started waving his arms in the air, claiming he wasn't kidding and that he _actually_ smelled _Kotone_ back there. "I can smell Kotone's shampoo, I know it's her!"

"You idiot! Just because some weakling smells like her shampoo, doesn't mean it's her!" At the mention of her shampoo I could smell it even above the smoke. _Payapa berries, Watmel berries and Pecha blossoms..._ I stopped dead in utter horror as I realized I was licking my lips at the thought of what her shampoo smelled like. _AHHH! WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!_ I quickly clasped my hands over my mouth, ran straight towards the nearest tree and slammed my head against the tough bark, which made Weavile leap back in shock. _STUPID IDIOT; STOP WITH THE CRAP! _

"SILVER?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Weavile pulled me away from the tree before I could smack my head against it again. Good thing too, with my luck a whole family of Beedrill lived here.

_I was only licking my lips because I was hungry! Yeah, that's it I'm just hungry! __**Not**__ because I like what her shampoo smells like, no no no no! _"Look, if we go back and see that it wasn't Kotone, will you shut your mouth until we get there?!" I felt like I had popped a vein at this point; I was furious with him and _myself_.

He stared at me in utter disbelief before nodding his head furiously.

I sighed, crossing my arms as I walked stiffly back the way we came. "Now this will take twice as long, idiot. You better pray to Lugia that this is Kotone..."

* * *

*~~*Kotone's Viewpoint*~~*

"Blitz!" I hissed through my teeth as I realized my partner had stayed behind to sniff the figure on the opposite path. "Blitz, get over here!"

Blitz suddenly let out a huge sneeze before he ran over towards me, making me glare at him in utter shock. "Koto, it smells weird on the other path."

"What are you—" I stopped and frowned at my giant starter. "It's not nice to sniff people you don't know, Blitz."

He just stared at me for a moment and replied, "It's not nice to _stare_ at people, Koto." I blushed as I looked to the grass below our feet. "It smells like cave—y'know, wet moss and stale water—dirt and trees, anxiety and...hormones..." His eyes suddenly grew wide as he shook his head. He then wouldn't look me in the eyes as he went on, "Do you think a cave opened up over there or something?"

"A cave? Union Cave is a ways off from here and it's highly unlikely that a cave opened up in Ilex Forest—wait. What do you mean hormones?" I cocked my head at Blitz questioningly. "How can you smell what's in a person's body?"

He just looked towards me sadly and walked ahead of me. "Koto, let's go before it gets late."

I started to follow him only to turn around and notice that Blitz had left a great Smokescreen on the right path. I gasped in horror at the billowing cloud. "Oh, by Ho-Oh's tail feathers! _Blitz_! You'll choke them out with that cloud! What'd you do that for?! They can't even see behind them—I can't even see them! We have to go and find them in there and apologize! You can't do that to people!"

Blitz suddenly leaped up, spun around and dragged me away from the fork in the paths by my right wrist. "HEY! What's gotten into you, buddy!? It's not nice to smoke people out and run, y'know! In fact, it should be a federal offense! It's bad for the air, your health and it's just plain _rude_!" I futilely tried to pull away, but his grip was far too strong.

"C'mon, c'mon! We have to get moving so we can get to the Dragon's Den before dark!"And with that, we were out of the Ilex Forest and on the path towards the Pokémon Day Care.

* * *

*~~*Silver's Viewpoint*~~*

By the time we had retraced our steps back towards the entrance, whoever was on the opposite path was _long_ gone. I felt strangely disappointed that we had missed them. _Idiot! What would you do if you met up with them and it was some other weakling?! ...Eh, it doesn't matter. They're gone and now I've wasted my time. I should just head back to the Dragon's Den and give up this stupid chase._ "Idiot! I told you they wouldn't be here!"

Weavile looked up at me in absolute shock as he searched frantically around the clearing. "Silver! I'm absolutely sure it was Kotone back there! They can't have gotten too far!" He stood rigid for a moment before turning and pointing at my face, frantically yipping. "If we hurry back towards the Day Care Center, we might be able to catch them!"

"We're not going anywhere but New Bark Town! C'mon, we're wasting daylight with your stupid games!" I grabbed him by the wrist as I clenched my teeth, dragging him back towards the Azalea Town exit.

"No! We can't leave now! She's over there, I know it's her!" Weavile just kept on screaming for us to turn around and that if we run, we could catch up to her.

_Idiot! Shut you stupid mouth already and c'mon!_ Although, I had a small doubt in my mind that maybe it _was_ Kotone back there...that would certainly explain the Smokescreen in my face.


	4. Chapter Three: Big Mistake

***~~*Chapter 3: Big Mistake: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

As I walked the surprisingly empty streets of Goldenrod City, I couldn't shake off the memories of the Team Rocket siege. "...Blitz. This doesn't feel right at all. Usually, I can't even make it two steps without bumping into someone...but today...it's empty." I swallowed hard as I slowed down to stay closer to Blitz.

He grabbed my hand with his right paw and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, Koto. I'll protect you. Just stay close to me and—"

We both stopped as we noticed someone standing in the road ahead of us, the first person we've seen in the city all day, standing in the shadow of a skyscraper. He was wearing a black jacket, accompanied by black pants and sported a black cap on top of his side-spiking teal hair. He started to walk menacingly towards us as I gasped. The last time I saw him...was in the Radio Tower of this very city. I gripped Blitz's paw tighter as he let out a protective growl.

"_Proton_?! B-but Team Rocket is disbanded for good! Archer said so himself!" I cringed as he came closer, laughing as he adjusted his hat to cover his left eye.

"Ah, if it isn't little Miss Kotone~!" He let out a burst of maniacal laughter as he reached for a Pokéball on his belt. "We've been expecting you..."

At his words, hundreds of Team Rocket grunts rushed out of the shadows and attempted to grab me by the arms. Blitz snarled as he released Flamethrower after Flamethrower, keeping the grunts from reaching me. _I've gotta get out of here! Blitz can't hold off all of these grunts by himself for long!_

"You see little Kotone, we're not leaving without a fight." His visible eye shined murderously, making me shake with apprehension. "However, we need a strong leader...one who won't leave us when we're in hot water."

Many of the grunts in the mob laughed at this, some hooted and shouted out various pro-Team Rocket slogans. "What's the matter? Has waiting for Giovanni become too _boring_ for you, Proton?" I lifted my head higher in an attempt to sound tougher, even though I was thoroughly terrified by the sheer amount of Rockets still around.

Proton glared at me momentarily before twisting his face into a smile. "That's where you come in. Who better to lead Team Rocket to victory than the _Champion_?! Become our leader, Kotone! The Queen of Team Rocket and soon, the _world_!"

"All hail the Queen of Team Rocket! Queen of Team Rocket!" The grunts surrounding us cheered and hailed in unison as I shook my head furiously.

"There's no way I'll _ever_ join Team Rocket, let alone _lead_ it! Back off, Proton! Before...before I make you regret it!" I felt the sweat drip down my face as the crowd grew silent and Proton's smile faded.

"Oh, Kotone..." He suddenly pushed the button on the Pokéball, making it grow to the size necessary to summon the Pokémon within. "...You don't have a choice~!" He then threw the Pokéball straight at me, the red light glowing as the Pokémon came into shape.

"ALAKAZAM!" An Alakazam stood before me, blocking my view of Proton. Blitz charged ahead and got down on all fours, readying himself for battle at my side.

"Alakazam! Psychic, let's go!" Proton pointed ahead of him and smirked as the spoons in Alakazam's hands glowed along with his eyes a consuming blue.

"Blitz, use Flame—GHAH!" I was suddenly stuck by a sharp blast in my head, the force bringing tears to my eyes as I was lifted into the air!

Blitz stood below me, dumbfounded at the sudden change of events. "KOTO!" He turned to Proton and snarled so viciously, saliva was flung from his mouth. "LET HER GO, PROTON!"

Proton simply smirked as he shrugged. "Sorry," he spat sarcastically. "I don't _speak_ Pokémon!"

_I've...gotta...get free!_ My head throbbed with every thought I uttered. _But...we're so outnumbered...ghah! It...would...be impossible to...hold them...all off. I've...gotta protect my friends!_ "B-B-Blitz!" My Typhlosion looked up at me with tears in his eyes, I could tell he was feeling utterly distraught. "R-r-re...RETURN!"

His mouth gaped open as he heard my command. "No, Kotone! I can't just—"

"That's...an order, Blitz!" It hurt to speak even one word, let alone full sentences. My throat felt like it was sandpaper as he shook his head vigorously. "DO IT! I know...what I'm doing! T-T-trust me!"

Blitz stared at me for a long while as the grunts laughed out taunts of my weakness. "...I..." He gave me a weak, tear-filled smile. "I trust you, Kotone..." He then zipped back into his Pokéball with a flash of red light.

"Aww, what's the matter~? Can't _bare_ to let down your pathetic Pokémon? Have you given up already, Kotone? How _boring_! I expected for you to at least _try_ to free yourself!" Proton held his hips and he bent over, mocking me with a disgusting grin on his face.

I smiled at him, even though it killed me to move my face. "I'm...just getting started!" I then slowly grabbed Ralts' Pokéball and summoned him to the ground below me. Before he was able to utter a single sound, I unclipped my belt of Pokéballs and let it fall into his hands.

"Ms. Kotone?! What are you doing?! What's going on?!" He looked up at me with tears; it killed me to see my Pokémon like this.

"Ralts, run! Get out of here!" I managed to scream it quickly while the grunts closed in on Ralts.

"But, the grunts...!" He shivered as they grew closer.

"I'll b-be fine! Just get out of here with... the team! TELEPORT!" I was screaming as a fresh wave of pain hit me, this time in my heart.

Ralts blinked and me for a while before quickly nodding. He disappeared in a flash of brilliant white light just as a female grunt dove for him, her only catch being a face-full of pavement.

"NO! Find that Ralts! We need those Pokémon! And as for you—!" Proton whipped his head up towards my face and snarled. "Alakazam, Hypnosis!"

I shut my eyes quickly as Alakazam's eyes suddenly changed to a red glow. I tried as hard as I could, but Alakazam opened my eyes for me with Psychic. The instant I saw the glowing red, the world grew black and I could feel myself plummeting to the ground. My descent slowed as Alakazam used his mind to ease my fall. The sounds around me grew quieter as I felt myself falling into a deep sleep.

"...Let's..." I could hear snippets of Proton's yelling as I faded out of consciousness. "Go to...they'll never look there." I felt myself being easily picked up by most likely Proton as I heard his voice become closer. "Soon we'll...stupid children...never learn." I heard him chuckle before he went on, "Long live Team Rocket!"

That was the last thing I heard before I slipped completely under Alakazam's Hypnosis.

* * *

*~~*Sliver's Viewpoint*~~*

"Finally, stupid New Bark Town!" I sighed as I took the sparsely populated town that accompanied Professor Elm's laboratory. I could recognize Kotone's house with ease. Some _genius_ had put a wind turbine directly next to her house. "We would have been here half an hour ago if _some idiot_ hadn't dragged me all over Ilex Forest for nothing!" I shot a glare down at Weavile as he lowered his head to the dirt below us.

"I'm certain it was her...I really mean it, Silver. It wasn't a joke." I could see a faint shimmer on his cheek, which made me feel a twinge of guilt for yelling at him so much on the way here.

"...Stop crying." I slowly walked into town, unsure of how I would be welcomed. "There's no need for that. We'll challenge her to a battle soon and—

I stopped dead in my tracts as a blinding flash of light burst in front of me. _What the heck is going on?! _I fell backwards out of shock when something flew into my stomach. "Ooph!" I fell hard on my rear as Weavile rushed over.

"Silver! Are you alright?!" He grabbed my back from behind in a hug—something that my Pokémon did more often as of late.

I groaned as the light faded away. "Yeah but...what _idiot_ Pidgy just flew at me like that—?!" I stopped in mid-sentence as I felt something nuzzle my jacket...and heard soft sobbing. _What in Lugia's name is—!_ I looked down at my lap to find a _Ralts_ carrying a white belt of Pokéballs, each one having a sticker of the element the Pokémon inside above each button. _Wait...these are Kotone's! I would recognize those dumb seals anywhere! Then _this_ must be the Ralts she hatched for that stupid kid of the Professor!_

"Silver! It's Kotone's Ralts! But..." Weavile walked over to face me and look at me with a face of utter bewilderment.

"Where's Kotone?!" I finished his sentence for him as the small Pokémon lifted his head to look at me, his cheeks dripping with tears.

The Ralts started bawling, talking faster than I even thought possible for such a young Pokémon. "M-Mr. Silver! It's awful! We were trying to come and visit you because Ms. Kotone was so upset that she forgot to call you and—" I quickly pressed my hand on top of the red...thing on it's head to stop it from talking.

"Slow down, I can't understand you when you speak so fast!" I narrowed my eyes as it nodded, it's eyes still producing gallons of waterworks.

"We...were trying to come and see you because Ms. Kotone was so busy last week helping Professor Elm and—"

Weavile cocked his head in confusion. "Why was she helping him? She told us it was Ethan's job!"

Ralts simply nodded and continued. "Ethan had the flu, so she did his work for him. By the time she finished at the end of the day, she was so tired that she couldn't talk even if she _wanted_ to!" _So that's why she was gone...She was helping Pretty Boy with _his_ job! _I felt relieved that she had only been too tired to call me. Then I felt a rush of anger towards Ethan. _It shouldn't be Kotone's job to fill in for you at work because you get sick, Pretty Boy! You're such an idiot!_

Ralts continued, apparently unaware of my inner rage. "But when we got to Goldenrod City, everyone was gone! Then we, we..." His voice tailed off as he opened his eyes as they glowed and we were suddenly shown an image of Proton slinking out of the shadow of a building with a wild gleam in his eyes. "Proton was there with Team Rocket grunts...hundreds of 'em!"

_Team Rocket?! No, no, no no! This can't be right!_ My stomach swirled as my feelings about the nightmare had been true. _Team Rocket's here?! Those cowards were disbanded! But...Proton has never been one to give up that easily...that sleezeball!_

"...And then he made an Alakazam pick her up with Psychic and then she told me to run away and take the others with me..." His eyes glowed again as he showed us Kotone floating painfully above our heads while Proton sneered behind his barrier of goons. I could see the pain in her eyes, tears streaming down her face as she yelled for Ralts to run away... _You idiot! Why would you do something like that?! They were your only chance of escape!_ Ralts' vision suddenly swiveled to all of the cowards closing in around him, their faces all merging together under the effects of the small Pokemon's fear.

His vision suddenly vanished as he shoved his face into my jacket and cried loudly. _No, Kotone...no!_ I struggled to find my voice under the pressure in my chest. "W-what happened to Kotone? Where is she?!" The Ralts looked up at me before burying himself deeper into my jacket and sobbing even louder. _Crap, the darn thing's still like a baby... Ugh! Now I have to speak in a stupid 'loving tone' and all that crap... Perfect._ I cleared my throat before I continued in the softest tone I could manage, thinking of how Kotone's life was probably on the line. I stroked Ralts' cheek, brushing away some of its tears as I cooed, "Ralts...where is Kotone now?"

The Pokémon looked up at me with the most heartbreaking eyes I've ever seen in my life, lifted it's head to the sky and screeched, "I DON'T KNOW! THEY'VE TAKEN MS. KOTONE! TEAM ROCKET KIDNAPPED MS. KOTONE!"

* * *

**Author's Note: And this is where things get interesting~! MUHAHAHAHA~! CLIFFHANGER!  
**

**Sorry for totally crashing your feels with this Chapter~ (Now you see the significance in the Ilex Forest Chapter of their passing each other by~)**


	5. Chapter Four Extra: A Perfect Disguise

***~~*Chapter 4 Extra: A Perfect Disguise: Proton's Viewpoint*~~***

**Author's Note: Hey there! Illusions Of Insanity here with "SoulSilver**—**Blast Off!"'s first bonus chapter! So, I'm going to take a moment on explaining the purpose of having these extra chapters. These are _not_ filler chapters. These show events that either happened during a chapter**—**like how this one is taking place at the same time and a little bit before chapter four**—**or between chapters. These are usually in the viewpoint of someone other than Kotone or Silver, although you will definitely see one in Kotone's view a little later on along with a deleted extra in Silver's viewpoint**—**I'll give you more info on those two when we get there. So all that's left is to sit back, relax and enjoy this extra! (Which is in Proton's viewpoint.)**

* * *

"Alright, looks like we're almost there!" I turned to the mass of excited faces behind me as we hid in a small clearing near the Pokémon League's Gate. I then glanced down to the sleeping figure in my arms. Kotone shifted under the Hypnosis, mumbling something about Giovanni's traitor of a son, her face like that of an angel. _Ah, our future Queen is such an adorable sleeper~!_

"Sir," I looked back over my shoulder to see a young female grunt with green hair step forward. _Ah, Rebecca Trails, our newest recruit~!_ "Wouldn't be unwise to travel in plain sight like this? If we're wearing disguises, should we make Ms. Soul wear one as well? She is the Champion, an easy face to recognize!"

I let out a laugh as she leaped back in surprise. "Ah, I already have that covered! You see, hand me that black suitcase!" A brunette handed me the human sized suitcase as I smiled.

"Are we going to stuff her inside and claim she's luggage, sir?" A middle-aged grunt smirked as he cocked his head.

I growled as I snapped at this stupidity. "No, you idiot! She'll suffocate to death in there!" I gently placed Kotone on the grass beside me as I unlocked the suitcase and it opened with a snap. Inside lay several black suits, red ties, black dresses and one long, white gown. "She'll have a little costume change as well~! Now, one of you blockheads hold this up!" I threw a large poster towards the crowd behind me and smirked as I heard them scramble to catch it. Rebecca then stood in front of me, holding the poster nervously. "A little to the left, young one...no, _my_ left! Lower!" I held my hands out in front of me, angling them as if they were a camera. "Hold it! That's perfect, grunt."

I then pulled out an angled bob green wig, the white gown, a pair of thick, long, white tights and a green cardigan with a large red horn-like protrusion connected to long, arm length gloves of the same shade of green. I then found the solid black make-up kit and a pair of white ballet flats, grinning as I layed them all beside the sleeping girl. _Oh, this will be the best costume in Team Rocket history!_

"Alright, it's time to get started! All male grunts, take your assigned suits out of the case and go change in the wood behind us and _stay there_ until I say so. Girls, you stay here and assist me in getting Ms. Soul ready! Go!" The grunts shuffled around busily as I noticed Rebecca biting her lip. "Is something _wrong_, dear~?"

She snapped to attention as she shook her head. "Well...are you going to undress her? It just...seems like an invasion of privacy to me..." _Ugh, womenfolk are so sensitive!_

"How _else_ am I to disguise her?! Her clothes are iconic now!" I started by throwing Kotone's extremely large, muffin-like hat to the side. "I need you girls to hand me the clothes as I call them out, got it?"

"Yes, sir!" About ten different voices called back as I smiled.

"Let's get started then!" I proceeded to remove her cumbersome overalls with careful fingers, then her pink...shirt? Or is it a jacket? It's very hard to tell to be honest. The black undershirt was easy to remove; I tossed them all into the suitcase next to me. I then removed her shoes and very long—seriously, what is _with_ her clothes?!—socks that could have stayed if not for the black band at the top of each one. I tossed those aside as well. "Alright. Tights!"

"Yes, sir!" The tights were handed over to me as Rebecca blushed and turned away, obviously uncomfortable with 'invading her privacy'.

After pulling those as high as they would go, I lifted the heavy sleeper gently to her feet. "Alright someone help me hold her up so I may put the gown on her!" A purple haired woman rushed over and held up the very limp Kotone under her arms as I pulled the dress over her head. _Wow, she's a really heavy sleeper...like, clinically heavy._ We all froze as she muttered something about a 'Dragon's Den' as she shifted her head. We let out a collective sigh of relief when she grew still once again.

"Jacket!" I held out my right hand in waiting.

"Yes, sir." They answered a little quieter now, but still moved at the same fast pace. _This 'Yes, sir' thing is getting annoying!_

The jacket was a bit of a struggle as the fabric kept getting crooked, but it was put on just like the rest.

"Alright, almost done...Shoes!"

"Yes, sir." The girls replied again as I snapped that the next person to say that would be shoved inside of the suitcase for the walk to our destination. That certainly made them grow quiet!

The shoes were a snap, though for a moment I felt that they might not fit her small feet. I pulled her hair back into a bun and angled the wig to match the poster—after spraying it with my odorless hairspray to keep it motionless and in place.

I then called out for the make-up kit and set to work on her face.

As I was putting on the base coat, I could hear a whisper in the intently watching mass around me. "She looks like a Kimono Girl with all that make-up on..."

"She has to wear this, otherwise it won't work!" I didn't mention that this base paint was, in fact, _stolen_ from the Kimono Girls' dressing room.

After her make-up had been completed, I layed her down and grinned at my handiwork. _Ah, she looks so sweet! She looks just like the real thing! Congrats, Proton! It's a masterpiece!_ _It's even better than the time you dressed Silver up as a Ponyta, took him to that Ponyta ranch and claimed he escaped, then went in and stole some beautiful mares and even kept the boy! Haha! He was so much easier to deal with when he was just a little runt, instead of the meddling traitor he is now! _I then called back the men to join us as they steadily sauntered out of the trees.

One of the younger grunts laughed as he layed eyes on the fully costumed Kotone, pulled out a camera and took a picture before I could even open my mouth. I lunged at him as I snarled, "What do you think you're _doing_?! What if that picture gets out!?"

He blinked at me before letting out a moan of protest, "But boys pay an arm and a leg for these kinds of photos! Think of the profit we'll snag!"

I stood there for a moment, deep in thought as Rebecca placed the poster back in the suitcase, grabbed the remaining dresses and escorted the women into the woods to change. _He is right...candid photos like this _are_ quite expensive...and boys would _love _such photos of the Champion Kotone Soul..._ "Alright then, hand over that camera! It's time we had a photo shoot! But only a few, I want these to be rare after all!"

I gently lifted her up, layed her next to a few of the wildflowers and started posing her as if she was sleeping with her left arm above her head, her right hand palm up near on the grass next to her face while her legs...I'm sure you can guess the rest of the position. I took two at different angles, then let her hold her hat in her left hand—which she gripped tightly the second it was placed in her hand. After taking ten photos—two copies of the five shots—I packed up the camera and told them that it was almost time to head out.

"I'm going to change into my suit and tie, you men stay here and don't. Touch. Kotone!" I glared as I finished my sentence and headed back to change, which I did fairly quickly as I didn't completely trust the men to comply and the women to guard her well. I came out to find everyone in the exact same position as I left them. _Good. Now it's time to go._

I gently picked up Kotone—although I couldn't wrestle the hat away from her grasp—and lead the line to proceed through the League's gate towards Kanto. We had almost made it through when the Kanto guard stopped us short.

"Hold it, sir. What's going on here?" He glared as he analyzed my group of ten men in suits, each with a woman on their arm and then dropping his gaze to squint hard at the disguised Champion in my arms.

I cleared my throat and smiled as I began in a dignified tone, "Ah, you see here kind sir, my associates and I were on our way to a important meeting in Saffron City when my trusted and well-loved darling Gardevoir grew tired and is need of Nurse Joy's gentle care. So, despite the chance of being late, my coworkers and I are heading to Viridian City to ask for her assistance." I ended my testimony with a nod and the most loving look I could muster upon my so called Gardevoir's face.

The man stared for a while until his eyes rested upon Kotone's annoying hat that now was held on her chest by her left hand. "That hat looks just like the Champion Kotone Soul's hat..." His eyes contained a spark of questioning at the sight of the hat.

_Of course. I knew that hat would cause trouble!_ I simply gave a pleasant laugh and smiled. "My daughter Felicia is a great fan of Kotone's, and the hat was specially made to look just like hers. My darling Grace simply _adores_ my little girl, and almost wouldn't accompany me to the meeting all the way in Kanto! She agreed to go if she could take my daughter's hat with her and she hasn't let go of it since we left home!"

The guard stood for a moment, then nodded. "So, how long have you owned this Gardevoir?"

I let out another cheerful laugh, then a happy sigh. "Oh, I hatched her from an egg sixteen years ago! I've had my darling Grace around longer than I've known my wife Clair!"

The guard waited...then gave a small smile. "Alright then, you and your group may pass! Say hello to Nurse Joy for me!" He then stepped aside and let us pass.

I gave one last cheery laugh and nodded a goodbye. "Thank you! I certainly will!" With that, the noble and amazing Team Rocket had slipped Kotone Soul right under their noses. Once we were almost at the end of the path to Viridian City, I let out an evil laugh—something I've been _dying_ to release.

"We've done it! We're almost there to the Secondary Rocket HQ! Team Rocket has triumphed!" The group behind me let out yell of victory. _We've done it! And all without you, Giovanni! We have a better leader now!_

I then lead my team straight for the old mansion in Viridian City, every step bringing us closer to meeting up with the rest of the Rockets...and world domination.

_With Kotone Soul as our leader, no one can stop us! Not that traitor Silver, not that puny Lance, nobody! And with no one to stop us...we will rule the world with an iron fist!_

"All hail Team Rocket!" I shouted as I lead the way to our long awaited victory.

"All hail Team Rocket!" Cried out the twenty grunts behind me, who would soon join the awaiting nine-hundred.


	6. Chapter Four: You Have to Trust Me

***~~*Chapter 4: You Have to Trust Me: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

"What did you say?!" A annoyingly familiar voice called out from his front porch as his Marill bounded up to my side and attempted to sooth the bawling Pokémon in my arms. I scowled as Ethan Gold rushed over to stand in front of me, his hands shaking in terror as his face drained of color. _Ugh, here comes Pretty Boy now. Stupid weakling, his voice sounds like he's only ten!_

I stood up slowly, placing Ralts on the ground beside my feet as I clutched Kotone's belt protectively—er, I mean aggressively—with my right hand. "This doesn't concern you, Pretty Boy." I waved my left hand in dismissal. "Go back home and lie down—"

"Of course it concerns me! Kotone's in trouble! She's my best friend too, Silver! I _have_ to do something!" He started pounding his open left hand with his fist in determination, something not often seen from _this_ weakling.

I growled as Weavile aided Marill in comforting Ralts. The Feeling Pokémon simply pulled away from their embraces as it clung to my right leg, still crying heavily. I tried to shake it off as I went on, "She not _my_ best friend, she's my rival." I strained the word for added emphasis. "_Ri-val_! I don't need _friends_, friends are for the weak! Besides, what could _you_ do? You're just a Pretty Boy who sits in a laboratory all day and sorts files! Can you even _battle_?!"

Ethan pouted by blowing up his cheeks—just like Kotone—as he stomped his foot. "I can _too_! I'm _just_ as good as you, I bet!" He suddenly grabbed my left arm and scowled, "We're in this together, Silver! Like it or not, we're all friends here and friends help one another!"

I pulled my arm away sharply as I took a step towards him, my blood boiling in agitation. "She wouldn't _be_ kidnapped if you hadn't made in fill in at _your_ job!"

"What?!" His eyes grew wide as he held up his hands dismissively. "She filled in for me because she _wanted_ to! She said that it would be stupid for me to have to work myself sick again trying to catch up on the work that piled up while I had the flu! I _tried_ to refuse, but you know just as well as I do how stubborn she is!"

"Yeah right!" I rolled my eyes as the clinging became tighter. "You're supposedly her _best friend_, you should be able to talk some sense into her!" I glared down at the Ralts as I snapped, "And would you let go of me, runt!? Go cry somewhere else, ya' baby!"

"Don't take your anger out on him!" Ethan quickly scooped up the Pokémon and cooed as it nuzzled his jacket. "Look, Kotone needs our help! We're getting nothing done just sitting here yelling at each other—" I cut him off with angry wave of my free hand.

"What good are you at this?! You've never faced any Team Rocket grunts! You'll probably wet your pants the moment you see the first one!" I smirked as I thought of Ethan running scared for his life at the first signs of trouble.

"I would _not_! I wouldn't _pee_ myself! For your information I—" His defense was interrupted by a frenzied voice as a pair of surprisingly strong hands gripped my shoulders.

"_What_ did you say about my daughter?! What happened to my little Koto?!"

I spun around, knocking off her hands with ease. "Look, I don't have time for your stupid questions," I bit my tounge for once as I analyzed the woman in front of me. Her hair was just beyond her shoulders, the same chocolate-brown as her daughter's—only slightly grayed with stress. Her eyes were a pair of surprisingly furious green slits as tears poured over the edges. She wasn't that tall, leading me to believe that small size and petite features ran in her family. _Perfect...Kotone's over-protective mother has joined the party...Someone get the glow-sticks and drinks._

She let out a rattling gasp as she pointed at my face, causing me to squint in annoyance. "You're that Silver boy, aren't you! This is all _your_ fault! I knew you were trouble from day one!" Ethan slowly backed away as his Marill followed suit, Ralts absently fiddled with his zipper while Weavile came closer to me, trying to hold my free hand.

"Look, woman. I didn't do anything to your dumb daughter—" I was cut off yet again by her frantic screams for help. _Shut your mouth for five seconds, woman! Then maybe I could tell you what happened!_ "LOOK HERE, WOMAN! I—"

"You've kidnapped her, I know it!" Her eyes slammed shut as I noticed her face growing red from yelling so much. "You've kidnapped her so you can do _horrible_ things to my sweet, innocent little girl!"

I just stood there with my mouth open for a few seconds before I screeched back, "Like I want to do anything to Kotone! She's _just_ my rival! _Why_ is it that when a guy _happens_ to challenge a girl to a battle repeatedly, people automatically assume that the guy _wants_ that pathetic brat?!" I felt a small squeeze on my left hand and I glanced down to see Weavile with a pleading look on his face.

"...Silver, you have to calm down. We have to speak calmly to get her to settle down...Think of Kotone." Oh, I was thinking of Kotone all right! Kotone was probably being tied up like a Tauros with duct tape over her mouth as they tortured her...Tears streaming down her face in silent pain as they used Poison Gas and Haze on her... I shook my head violently to rid myself of the disgusting scene forming in my head. _Right, I'll calm down...Just this once._

"Look...Ma'am," The word felt like sandpaper on my throat but I continued as her eyes slowly open with curiosity. "I'm trying to save Kotone, you see I ca—" I stopped and bit my tounge. _What am I saying...? I 'care'?! Since when did I care about anyone, let alone Kotone?!_ "I want her back, too. I...think I know where she is—"

"You're one of _them_, aren't you?!" Her hands were at her sides now, clenched into fists in frustration.

"No, Ms. Soul! Silver's our best friend! He _hates_—" Ethan opened his mouth to defend me, but I shot him a look. _I don't need you to defend me, Pretty Boy. Back off and shut up._

"If he's not one of them, then how does he know so much about them?! He's always seen before or around them, he acts like them...he even _looks_ like one!" That made me lose it.

I snapped back as I waved my fists in the air in an utter rage. "Look you stupid woman! I'm trying to save your daughter but _you_ don't trust me! I'm not a Rocket, I'll never _be_ a Rocket and I _hate_ Team Rocket! I know where she is because I'm familiar with their hideouts! They wouldn't bother using one here in Johto, they'd be discovered immediately! They're probably flying over the Tohjo Falls as we speak! If you would shut your mouth for five seconds I could tell you my plan!"

Her mouth dropped open as I stood there, gasping for my breath back after yelling for so long. Finally, after a while I could hear a small mutter from her, although it was unintelligible.

"Excuse me, but what did you say, Ms. Soul?" Ethan cautiously returned to his place closer to me as Marill clung to his leg.

She sighed as she slowly lifted her head to look me in the eye. "I said, I'll..." She drifted off, then cleared her throat and continued. "I'll trust you..." I let a small smirk grow across my face as she spoke. She then wagged her finger in discipline in my face. "She better be just as she left this morning, otherwise I'm calling the police on you! But I'm still calling Officer Jenny to scour Johto!" She then stormed off towards her house and slammed the door shut behind her.

I let out a sigh of relief as I turned to Ethan. "Look, I'm going to need you to guard New Bark Town for me, as well as letting me borrow the research van—"

Ethan laughed awkwardly, cutting me off. "I'll stay but...the van's getting some repairs done...Some Ursaring damage and all." _Of course it is..._ "But you can borrow Speedy!"

"Speedy?! Who the heck is—" I was suddenly pushed aside by a large Dodrio from behind as it raced to nuzzle Ethan, who laughed as it pecked his cheek playfully.

"Speedy is an especially fast Dodrio who I rescued from a poacher's trap on my way to Olivine City. While most Dodrio can only go forty miles per hour, Speedy can go _seventy_! Not to mention he knows ExtremeSpeed!" He boasted proudly as the mentioned Triple Bird Pokémon cawed with pride.

"Great, I get to ride on the back of _that_ thing!? How do I know it won't throw me off?!" Weavile still gripped my hand as he nodded in agreement. _Besides, can that thing even fit two people?!_

He laughed as he pulled out a brindle and slipped it over the paitently waiting Pokemon's head. "You hold on to this, of course! Besides, Speedy's real docile! He wouldn't hurt a Butterfree!"

"Whatever." I shrugged as I rolled my eyes. I figured that it was only a waste of time to argue. "I'm also going to need a pair of eyes in Viridian City."

Ethan cocked his head, making his Pokemon—and Ralts—copy him. "Viridian City? Why there?"

I facepalmed as I ground my teeth; Ethan was wasting time! "Look, I'm sure that those Team Rocket grunts would head there and I'm _pretty_ sure Kotone has a friend or two over there..." _Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she was friends with everyone in Kanto the way she's always so cheerful!_

He thought for a moment, then stuck a finger in the air. "Ah, there's Green!"

"Who?" I cocked my head as I stared at him. _What kind of stupid name is Green, anyway?!_

"Green Oak! Y'know, grandson of Professor Oak, helped stop Team Rocket the first time around _and_ the Gym Leader in Viridian City!" Ethan acted as if this was all common knowledge, I hadn't been to Kanto in a long time...In fact, I stayed _away_ from Kanto. _Someone took over Giovanni's Gym? ...When? And Green Oak's an even dumber name!_ It never really occurred to me that they might save the Gym; I would have burned it to ashes beneath Giovanni's feet. I suddenly felt a small snap of rage inside of me that I held back with a grimace. _AND WHY DOES KOTONE HAVE SO MANY GUY FRIENDS, ANYWAY?!_

"Don't make that face!" Ethan stuck out his tounge as he tossed me his Pokégear. "His number's on my phone. Go ahead and call him; I'll wait right here..." He smiled a beaming grin at me, trying to make me smile back. Without Kotone to _force_ my mouth to smile though, it was useless. I just groaned as I clicked Green's number.

It rang for a while before an older and _especially _arrogant voice answered. "Hey there, kiddo! What's up?"

"Look, I need—" I heard a growl from the other end as I rolled my eyes.

"Who are you and _what_ did you do to Ethan Gold?! I swear, when I get my hands on you...!"

Ethan grabbed the phone and quickly filled in the blanks for Green while Weavile suddenly decided to climb up my back. I let out a gasp as he nuzzled my cheek.

"Don't worry, Silver! I know we'll save Kotone from those freaks!" He smiled at me encouragingly.

I just blinked at him and stated flatly, "I'm not worried. Only _weaklings_ worry."

He laughed as he added, "Or someone in _love~!_"

"I'm not in love, you twit!" I slowly turned my head to find Ethan raising an eyebrow at me before he shook his head and handed me the Pokégear.

I took the device eagerly as I started laying down my plan. "Look, Oak. I need someone to watch out for any sign of Kotone, and since you're the Gym Leader...You'll do. I need you to keep an eye out for any sudden increase in people around the area. Especially anyone carrying _anything!_"

"Alright then, Grouch. This should be easy! ...Hold the Pokégear. Some strange people just walked in through the path to the League."

I felt the skin on the back of my neck prickle as I could imagine the Team Rocket scum waltzing right into town wearing ridiculous disguises, Kotone stuffed into a fake backpack as they... _No, don't think about that! Don't think about that!_ I was so involved in the Rocket part that I completely ignored his insult.

"There's an odd, teal-haired man in the lead wearing a black, pinstripe suit holding what looks like one of those Gardevoirs from Hoenn in his arms...but it's holding something...Oh, Moltres' wings! It's Pigtails' hat!" _I'm assuming he calls Kotone Pigtails as well then. Stupid jerk, that's my nickname for her!_

I felt like running all the way to Kanto on foot, but I had to finish my orders. "Don't follow him! Just watch where he goes and wait for me, I'm on my way!"

Without waiting for a response, I ended the call and tossed it back to Ethan. I scrambled to climb on top of the Dodrio as Weavile clung fiercely to my back.

"Slow down, Silver! I'll fall off!" He dug his claws into my jacket, making me wince.

I clipped Kotone's belt over my own to keep them close as I turned to Ethan. "I'll take Ralts with me. Since he's a Psychic type, he should be able to find Kotone easily. Besides, a mind link could come in handy during the search." Ethan nodded as he handed the small Pokémon over. I hesitated, thinking of where to put the thing so it wouldn't fall off of the Dodrio.

"Mr. Silver...can I ride in your jacket, please? ...I'm scared." He pointed at my jacket with a small, white paw as he looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Silver, go ahead and let him ride in your jacket. It'll keep him calm on the way over and out of sight during the search..." Weavile patted the small hatchling on the head as he smiled. I simply shrugged as I unzipped slightly as to let the small Pokémon rest inside. I felt my cheeks grow warm as it snuggled up to my chest and let out a content sigh.

I then grabbed the reins as I continued, "...Keep her mother under control. I'll be back soon. If I'm not back before tomorrow morning..." I paused; the thought of not coming back hadn't really occurred to me before now. _You'll come back, you're way stronger than those weaklings. Besides...Kotone's counting on you._ "Call the Kanto Police and tell them about the kidnapping; I'm sure they'll work overtime to rescue the Champion. But for now, keep this low. I don't want any extra weaklings to be accountable for."

Ethan nodded vigorously as he took a few steps back with his Marill. "I will. Good luck, Silver...and please be careful." He added this last part with a look of sadness in his eyes. I just nodded curtly as I turned the giant bird Pokémon towards the path to Cherrygrove. "And Speedy, don't give Silver any trouble! This is for Kotone!" The Pokémon let out a screech in response as it took off, making me jerk backwards. Weavile sank his claws even deeper into my back as I let out a hiss.

"Don't let me fall, Silver! This thing's a lunatic!" He sobbed close to my ear, obviously upset by the fast motion. I let my head tilt back as I let out a nervous laugh, trying to get used to the idea of riding on a three-headed bird.

As Cherrygrove came and went, I couldn't help but feel my heart pounding with anxiety. I was heading straight into the beast's lair to rescue little Miss Foolish...

_...Hold on, Kotone... We're coming!_

* * *

**Author's Note: And now it's time to dash of to Viridian City! It seems Ethan's in this chapter, although I'm afraid he won't show up again for a while. And just so you know, all facts you see about the Pokemon are true facts from my Handbook, which may also be referred to as a Pokenerd's best friend. XD So Speedy being able to go seventy miles per hour is my addition, forty miles is official canon. Thank you all for your support so far! I love hearing from you guys!**


	7. Chapter Four Extra: Young Love

***~~*Chapter 4 Extra: Young Love: Professor Elm's Viewpoint*~~***

"Hmm, now if the Goldeen were to travel with their trainers on foot...wouldn't they need a tank on a wagon or something?" I looked up from my work to brush off some sweat that had accumulated upon my brow, only to see Ethan Gold my assistant having what appeared to be a heated discussion with a boy with red hair...the same one who challenged Kotone to a battle on a regular basis from what Ethan murmured during his work.

I smiled as I continued writing on my important document. "Ah...young love. No doubt they're rivals for Kotone's heart! She's such a sweet little girl, I'm sure they're both head over heels for that one! Not to mention the fact that she's the Champion! Oh, they'll have a rough time wooing that miss! But she's worth it..." I thought about my own wife and sighed as I remembered her attempts at courting me. _It's always worth it~!_

I noticed Ethan trying to grab the other boy's arm, only for it to be yanked away. "Ah, most likely fighting over who she likes best, no doubt! Youth's such an interesting time, so many things change and especially during your teens! Why, it's the last step from child to adult, after all!" I stopped and blushed when I thought about how...er..._driven_ I was during my own teen years. "It's a good thing little Cyndaquil chose her...he'll protect her I'm sure!

I slowly looked down only to find my important document had been ruined due to the fact that I had written everything I had said aloud down! I started crying out anxiously at my mistake. "Oh! NO, no, no, _no_! This must go to Professor Oak's laboratory to prove to him my theory! I _can't_ soil it with details of Kotone Soul's love life!" I began erasing furiously, sure that I was burning the rubber off of the eraser-top.

_I can't allow myself to be distracted from my work so easily! Looks like I'll be missing dinner as well today!_

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry it's not Chapter Five! ;w; That's coming soon, I promise. Things are really busy right now but I'm still focused on posting this thing! **

**And on another note, writer's block is just as cruel as artist's block. "orz**


	8. Chapter Five: The Lair of the Beast

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! I just want to take a moment and thank you all for your wonderful Reviews and support for this series! Here's Chapter Five for you guys!**

* * *

***~~*Chapter 5: The Lair of the Beast: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

I was awoken by the sharp taste of a Chesto berry on my tongue as it slipped down my throat. I coughed for a bit, then slowly opened my eyes to find myself alone in a room made completely of marble; large columns stretched towards the ceiling while a finely embroidered tapestry of the Team Rocket insignia hung between each pillar. _Wow, this is really fancy... I didn't realize Team Rocket had such fine tastes!_ I glanced down to see a long, crimson carpet of velvet stretching from a pair of oversized oak doors to where I lounged. I was sitting on a golden throne with a crimson seat—which I'll admit I was quite comfortable in. _Something's not right..._ I looked at my hands and found that they were covered by long green gloves! I gasped as I looked myself over; someone had changed my clothes! I felt my heart beat out of my chest as I tried to remain calm. _This makes the Radio Tower seem natural! Who would change my clothes into this while I was out?! I look like...a lady at least...but I'm unsure why I'm like this._

I took a quick look over my shoulder and felt breathless as I layed eyes on a magnificent, humongous painting hanging on the wall behind the throne. It was a portrait of a man in a black suit, a large hat of the same color covering his eyes as he sat on the same throne I occupied; a Persian sat on his left while a young boy with red hair wore a matching suit to his right. _That boy looks so familiar... _The boy held onto the throne's arm cautiously, as if he were unsure if he should be so close. His metallic eyes were dull, as if he wasn't really aware of his surroundings. I tilted my head as I focused on the small cowlick on the top of his noggin. _He looks like..._

"Silver? But why would he...?" I slowly walked up to the painting in complete fascination, noticing a small plaque below the portrait: "Giovanni and Son; King of Team Rocket and his Heir." _Son?! That can't be Silver...he HATES Giovanni! _

"Ah, I see you've noticed Master's portrait..." A smooth tone met my ears, making me leap back in shock.

"Who's there—?!" My voice dropped as I found myself face to face with a Persian that was identical to the one in the painting. "Uh...was someone just here or..."

"I'm talking, human. A shock to those who only hear their own kind's words, I'm sure. However," The feline Pokémon rubbed against my legs and purred, making me uneasy. "I've heard you understand Pokémon better than most humans."

I backed away as I laughed to release some of the anxiety in my stomach, although it didn't really work. "You're the Persian from the painting?" He nodded a curt reply. "So..." I pointed towards the well dressed boy beside Giovanni. "Who's the boy? I would like a name, please."

"Ah," His eyes shone as if he was reminiscing. "That's Giovanni's boy, Silver—"

"It _is_ him! But he hates Team Rocket! So, why would he be Giovanni's son?" The Persian flicked his tail in frustration from being cut off and sighed.

"He never _was_ fully supportive of the grand works of his father...He always wanted undivided attention from the King of Team Rocket, my Master. What a foolish child. A leader of a grand organization such as Team Rocket has no time for occupying _children_." I lowered my eyes as I found myself envisioning Silver having to _try_ to get recognition from his father. _Attention was always given to me...I can't imagine not having my Momma with me! How horrible!_

"Silver was in the ranks for a time and he was the best operative there was, however...he always seemed off. Distant...as if his mind was elsewhere in the later years. When Team Rocket was defeated by a young black-haired boy and his brunette friends, my Master was forced into hiding from the police. Silver..." His voice trailed off as he slowly walked away from me, flicked his tail in dismissal and lounged in front of the throne. "Outgrew his usefulness. A man has no room for children when he's a wanted fugitive."

_'Outgrew his usefulness'?! That's insane!_ I could only imagine the pain Silver must feel, it was as if he didn't even have a father! _Is that why he was so closed-off? Is he trying to hide this? _My stomach felt sick. "How could you say that?! Silver is a _person_, people don't _cease_ to be needed! How cruel!" The Pokémon turned to look at me, uninterested in my opinion before he started to groom himself.

"Oh, you still have _those_ feelings. Bother, I'm sure they'll take care of that shortly." A sudden knock at the door made us both turn towards the highly polished wood. "That would be them now, I assume." He slowly brought himself to his feet, leisurely stretched and then padded towards the door with swaying haunches.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" I reached out my hand to him as he continued on unfazed by my request.

"Oh, I don't _enjoy_ being around for the next part...Tata~!" And with a final flick of his tail, he slipped out of the opening door as Proton entered the room.

"Oh, Ms. Kotone! I see you're awake now! Good afternoon~!" I cut him off by racing towards him and pointing accusingly in his face.

"What did you do to my clothes?! I _demand_ to be set free, otherwise...I'll..." I shrunk back as I realized my Pokémon were far away right now, leaving me alone...with not a soul knowing where I am. I suddenly felt very hopeless and shaken. _They could do whatever they want to me...and no one would ever know._

Proton laughed as he grabbed my chin and shook it from side. "I think you make an _adorable_ little Gardevoir~! Besides, you'll soon be wearing something much more elegant and sophisticated! Only the best for the Queen of Team Rocket~!" I slapped his hand away as I glared, although I took a few steps back.

"I already told you, I'll _never _join _or_ lead Team Rocket! Find yourself a new Queen, 'cause it _won't _be me!" I quickly turned around and tried to run away—seeing as how I'm alone in a room with a very dangerous man—only to be grabbed by the wrist and held back with ease.

"If you won't be our Queen willingly...I'll make you!" He suddenly grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and tossed it high into the air. The red glow materialized as a yellow Pokémon landed with a thud, its thick feet solid on the floor. I was then grabbed by the arms and restricted against his stomach as I struggled to free myself.

"Let me _go_! Help!" I tried to stomp on his feet and shove my elbows into his gut...but nothing worked.

"Hypno, you know what to do." Proton's voice was flat as he nodded at the Hypnosis Pokémon.

I tried to look away as the pendulum started to swing back and forth, to and fro...

But I couldn't. There was something about the motion that was soothing, comforting even. I let my hiked up shoulders relax as my muscles released themselves, my heartbeat growing calm and steady... I let a small grin grow on my face as I closed my eyes.

* * *

"All hail the Queen of Team Rocket!" Proton presented me to the awaiting crowd inside of the Rocket Throne room as I layed my head back on the soft arm of the throne, my legs propped up by the other arm.

"All hail Queen Kotone!" The grunts burst with enthusiasm, many threw their hats into the air as they cheered. I smiled as I stared at my adoring followers. _That's right...All hail the Queen of Team Rocket._

"Proton?" I lazily let my eyes drift to his face as I let my left arm dangle over the edge of the seat.

"Yes, Kotone?" He automatically turned his head towards me and smiled in complete loyalty. _Wow, I have them wrapped right around my fingers..._

"Seeing as how I am your leader, I deserve to pick what Pokémon I carry, correct?" I glanced down at the sleeping Persian at the base of the throne as I blinked. _Leader...It feels somehow...right on my tongue._

"Of course, Ms. Kotone." He turned completely towards me and bowed. He held the position, but lifted his head slightly to create eye contact. "Do you already know which ones you desire?"

_I could have anything I want...only by asking—no, demanding it? How strange._ "Yes, I do. I request a Charizard, Blastroise, Espeon, Umbreon, Dragonair and a Jumpluff." I listed them flatly as I counted the six on my fingers.

Proton nodded at each one but jolted upright as I named my last choice. "A...Jumpluff, Ms. Kotone?" He raised an eyebrow at my last Pokémon.

I let my smile fade as I narrowed my eyes at his question. "Yes, a Jumpluff. Is something _wrong_ with a Jumpluff, Proton?"

He gave me a nervous smile as he straighten into a salute, acting fearful of my rebuke. "No! Not at all, Ms. Kotone! A Jumpluff is an excellent choice!" He then turned towards a green haired scientist as he clapped his hands in an order, "Go get them for our Queen right away!" The young woman dashed off and returned a while later with a tray of six Pokéballs. I remained in my comfortable position, grabbed the center two Pokéballs and flung them in front of me with a lazy toss. They opened to reveal the Espeon and Umbreon, both in shining health and strong. I motioned for them to lay across my lap and they obeyed without hesitation.

"Good." _What is this...feeling?_ I took the rest of the Pokéballs and clipped them onto a small black belt that Proton had given me before summoning the grunts—the belt was hidden under my long gown as to not be a distraction. _It feels..._ "Then everything is in order, I assume?"

"Almost, Ms. Kotone. There's a few escape tunnels that still need cleaned up after being unused for so long. However, I already ordered a few grunts to grab a broom and start cleaning." He stared back at the celebrating crowd; many of the grunts were dancing or talking amongst themselves eagerly.

"Good. Now, do we happen to have any rooms large enough for dancing?" He nodded, but I could detect that my question threw him off. "Excellent. I wish to have my first dance as Queen of Team Rocket." _It feels good! I feel so in control, so powerful. So..._ I glanced back at the portrait on the wall behind me; from my angle, only the meek young boy was visible. The sight gave me a slight pang in my chest, causing me to look away. _So much stronger than before._

"I'll lead the way for you, Ms. Kotone." He started to usher the grunts out of the room with incredible speed as I slowly rose from the leisure of the cushioned throne. The Persian rose to its feet while the two Pokémon who occupied my lap now stood beside me, Espeon to my right and Umbreon to my left.

I walked past him, nose in the air as I smirked with pride.

**"That's Queen Kotone to **_**you**_**, Proton."**

* * *

**Author's Note: MUHAHAHAHAHAHA~! Here's where things get interesting, my friends! This chapter has a few headcanons in it/attached to it, so I'll explain them for you guys.**

**Headcannon notice! Alonso the Persian and Silver have a very hateful relationship. Alonso would scratch and/or attack Silver for the slightest things, especially when his owner Giovanni was displeased with his son. Silver would try to protect himself, but his father favored the Classy Cat Pokemon over his own blood and scolded the boy for hitting the Pokemon or running away from him. Therefore, Silver would avoid the Pokemon at all costs. The rivaly/hatred continues to this day, despite the fact they haven't seen each other for over five years.  
Another headcannon notice! Giovanni loves his Persian more than his son Silver by quite a lot. Silver's mother loved her son very dearly and tried to make Giovanni spend more time with his son...but it never really worked. His mother also had a dislike of Alonso due to the Classy Cat Pokemon's rude behavior and spiteful nature.**

**Oh, Alonso was ****_totally_**** going to say Silver's last name before Kotone cut him off. : D You'll have to wait for that one.**


	9. Chapter Six: Waking the Dead

**Author's Note: Ahahaha, sorry for the unnecessary wait! I would like to take a moment to thank everyone for their reviews and for 421 views on my work! That's really amazing to me, so many people have read my work! A shout-out to the wonderful people from all over the globe who have read this series! (Seriously, Malaysia, Singapore, Finland, El Salvador even places in Europe such as Hungary and Italy?!...all of you guys are just amazing!) I'd also like to thank you for the ****_59 views_**** that I received on the 9th of June; that topped the chart! I'd just like to thank all of you and remind you that I'm eager to hear from you guys! Now, without further ado...CHAPTER SIX!**

* * *

***~~*Chapter 6: Waking the Dead: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

My heart was pounding as the Dodrio slowly came to a stop in Viridian City, my stomach queasy from riding such a unsteady mode of transportation at such a high speed. But, I had no choice. I hated Team Rocket with most of my being and if they had the _nerve_ to steal Kotone...they were going to be unidentifiable bloody _pulps_ when I was through with them!

"So, you must be that Silver kid, right?" A semi-familiar, snarky voice met my ears as I slipped off of the giant bird. Weavile finally eased his grip and slid down my back while the Ralts in my jacket snoozed away. "I imagined you quite a bit taller from what Kotone's told me about you!"

I turned towards him and rolled my eyes. A spiky-haired brunette stood before me, wearing a ridiculous grin on his face as he walked with his hands in his pockets. "Wait...Kotone's talked about me?" I found myself asking the question without even thinking.

Green laughed as he stopped in front of me. "Ah, eager to hear what Pigtails said, eh? Well too bad, Grouch! I'm not sayin' a word! You'll just have to live without it~!" He kept on laughing as I scowled at his stupid grin. _Well, that's what you get for asking, Silver. Who cares what she says about you, anyway. You don't need to know and you don't want to know._ The normal voice kept scolding me as I stuck my hands in my own pockets and casually walked past him.

"I think I know were they went. Watch the bird for me—" I was cut off by hurried footsteps racing towards me and a grab on my left arm.

"Hold it, Grouch! You can't go facing Team Rocket alone; you'll get yourself killed! I'm coming with you." I sighed, I didn't have time for this.

"No, you're staying with 'Speedy' here so he doesn't run off and—"

"Look, like it or not Kotone means a lot to more than just you! She's my friend as well and I'm not gonna let a kid like you go in alone!" I turned my head to see he had lost all traces of humor in his face. Instead, his eyes burned with an almost startling amount of determination. I grunted, this guy wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"...Fine. Just _don't_ get in my way. And Kotone _isn't_ my friend! She's my _rival_! I just want to beat some Rocket faces in, that's all." Green smirked as he let go of my arm and walked beside me.

"I've heard _that one_ before... It's been a few years...but I've heard it before." I started to walk away as he went on, "Classic denial!" I bit my lip as Weavile let out a snicker; I didn't have time to argue, as much as I would have _loved_ to punch this guy's pretty boy face in as well.

"Let's just get going, alright?! Kotone's not sitting around in a field of flowers, she in Team Rocket's old headquarters. Every second you waste blabbing is another second they have her in their filthy hands! Let's move!" I raced off towards the hill beyond the Viridian Gym without even listening to his smart mouth retorts.

* * *

"Woah...I can't believe this thing's still standing." Green looked up at the large mansion and let out a long whistle through his teeth. "I remember the day this place was abandoned. It was right after Giovanni had—" I walked past him and stood at the doorstep with Weavile beside me. I lifted my hand to the doorknob...but stopped halfway, my hand shaking nervously in the air.

_I don't want to be here. I just want to turn around and get the heck away from this place...but I can't. Kotone's in here somewhere and I need to find her...no matter how uncomfortable this place makes me._ "Silver...are you alright?" I glanced down to see Weavile with a worried expression. "You seem so tense..."

"I'm fine! It's just that..." I stalled as Green slowly waltzed up beside me.

"Hey, are you alright? I know nervousness when I see it, ya' know. We're gonna get her back, promise~!" He gave me an over-enthusiastic wink and grin as I groaned. _The sooner I get this over with...the better!_ I shoved the door open, took a deep breath and quickly walked into the awaiting living room.

Everything was exactly were they were the day before everything changed. The velvet sofas, the oak coffee table...even... I found myself picking up an old photograph by the mantle of the stone fireplace and staring at it blankly. There he was, standing directly beside a beautiful young woman, a thin smile on her lips as she held a small infant in her arms. _...Stupid. She shouldn't have trusted him. She only ended up getting killed. _I choked as I slammed it face first back on the hard surface, turned on my heel and headed towards the vast hallway.

"You alright? What was that about—" I cut him off with a snarl as Weavile let out a sigh.

"It's this way. We don't have time for stupid questions." I sped walked down the hall, eying each door I passed. _Where is it? It's here somewhere!_ I found a door slightly ajar and peered inside only to slam it shut. _That's...my old room. Not what I'm looking for._

"Hey! This door's open a bit! I'm pretty sure they went in here!" I turned to find Weavile and Green standing in front of a door three doors ahead of me.

"Oh really." I scoffed as I walked over. "Why would you think that, Green?"

He blinked as he pointed to the floor. "Uh...the footprints in the dust, genius. It's pretty hard to miss." I glanced down to find he was right; there was a large trail of footprints leading inside the room.

"Fine then," I pushed the door open and walked in numbly. "Let's go."

"Woah! This place is so extravagant! Think of all the cash this blockhead must've spent on it!" He turned his head around excitedly, eyeing every bit of the room. I ignored my surroundings and headed straight for the closet. I grimaced; it was still filled with his suits. "Looks like he had a fine taste in clothes, too!" I jumped as Green brushed up behind me.

"It's behind here." I roughly shoved the suits away to reveal an open doorway on the back wall of the closet. Apparently, they had been too lazy to shut it behind them. "C'mon, she's down here." Weavile sniffed the air and walked ahead of me. "Where are you going?!" My voice came out a tad frantic as he turned around and smiled.

"I can smell her from here! I'm going to go find her for you, Silver!" Before I could even tell him how dumb of an idea that was, he raced off into the open doorway.

"Well, looks like your Weavile's sure excited..." Green slowly walked ahead of me as I glared. "We might as well follow him."

* * *

"Man, this place is darker than Victory Road without a flashlight!" Green's footsteps echoed ahead of me as I felt my way down the pitch black tunnel.

"They must have forgotten to turn the electricity back on in this area. It's going to be dark the whole way down, unfortunately." Ralts let out a squeak of fear; the baby was just as scared of the dark as Kotone was!

"...How do you know so much about them?" I jolted as the unavoidable question surfaced. "I mean, I know a bit from beating their butts back then, but _you_ seem to know everything! It's...interesting to say the least." I growled as I caught the implication.

"I'm not a Rocket! Why does everyone always assume I'm with those pathetic cowards?! I'm _nothing_ like them!" I heard him laugh at my defense.

"Sure you're not." He snicked sarcastically. "You've just dedicated your entire life to bringing them down for your own personal revenge for no reason at all!"

"Just shut up!" The path was getting lighter now, we must be getting close.

"Wow, now everything's made of metal!" I heard a metallic echo as I'm sure Green hit the wall ahead of me. "They really need to focus on a solid theme."

He finally came into view as I took the last step. "Stop judging their decor and focus on the rescue, genius!" I walked past him as he frowned.

We walked down the narrow hall until we came to a split in the path. I puffed up my cheeks in frustration. _My memory's too foggy to remember which leads where...great._

"Maybe we should split up. We could find her easier that way." Green placed his hand on my shoulder as I stared to the right. "Ralts could give us a mind link...right?"

The mentioned Pokémon squirmed against me as it sighed. "Not all the time...just when something's wrong. That way, you two can think whatever you want without the other one hearing every word...that gives you a nasty headache after a while!" I gave a small chuckle as the Feeling Pokémon held his head to demonstrate.

"I'll take the right path." I pointed ahead of me as Green backed away.

"Then I'll take the left one." He started to walk away fairly quickly before suddenly turning around and staring at me. "Be careful, Silver. We're on their turf now."

"...You too. I don't want to have to save your butt as well." I gave him a curt wave as I walked down my path, making his footsteps grow fainter and fainter until all I heard was my own breathing.

* * *

"It's so scary down here..." Ralts shifted nervously against me. We had been walking for what felt like centuries, and still nothing had appeared but more hallway to walk down.

_...He sounds like Kotone. Guess it makes sense, she is raising him._ "...You'll be fine. Nothing's going to get you..." My left foot sank down as the tile below me shifted. I felt something whizz by my ear as I started to run. _Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! I forgot about the traps!_

"What's going on?!" Ralts hugged my chest as even more projectiles were released.

"The booby traps still work, that's what!" I heard the small Pokémon gasp in shock. "What's wrong?!"

"Bad Mr. Silver! You said 'booby'!" I stopped dead as I felt my face grow hot.

"Booby doesn't mean that! It means—"

**Swphink!**

I felt my knees give way as I fell to the floor in a motionless heap. _Crap! Darts! It _had _to be tranquilizer darts!_ "Mr. Silver!" Ralts squirmed his way out of my jacket and stood ahead of me, poking my nose as I layed crumpled on the floor. "Why are you on the floor?"

"Nngh...darts. They make it impossible to move." Ralts walked slowly around me, inspecting every inch. "But they wear off almost instantly if remo—Owch!" I felt a sharp stab of pain from my rear. "What the heck, Ralts?!" I felt the feeling return to my limbs as I kneeled down, rubbing my sore backside.

"I pulled this thing out...is that good, Mr. Silver?" He walked back towards my face carrying a shockingly long dart, the needle probably around two inches long.

I gave a chuckle as I patted his head. "...Yeah. That's a good thing." He dropped the dart to the floor as I scooped him up. "C'mon, we'd better get going. This time, we'll watch out for..." I drifted off, remembering Ralts' horror at the word 'booby'. "Traps."

Ralts snuggled up to me as he let out a giggle. "That's a good idea, Mr. Silver!

I smiled, this little guy wasn't too bad for company. "Right." I let the little Pokémon crawl his way back into my jacket as I started walking again. "We're certainly getting close if we've found traps at this point. We should keep moving."

We—well, I—kept walking for about half an hour before we found a doorway in the wall to my right.

"Ms. Kotone?" Ralts shifted excitedly as I opened the door.

"...Nope." It was just a dimly lit closet filled with assorted suitcases and other packages. A large black suitcase layed open on the floor, but no Kotone.

"...But I feel her here...Check the black thing." He pointed eagerly to the suitcase.

"That's a suitcase, Ralts. I'll check it but—" I was cut off by the sight of Kotone's overalls inside of the suitcase...along with the rest of her clothes. I felt my face burn as I kneeled on the floor for a better look. "W-What the heck?! Why are her clothes in here!?" I covered Ralts' eyes as he squeaked with shock. My gaze suddenly latched onto a stack of photographs beside her socks. I picked up the top one gently as I examined it.

It looked like one of those Gardevoirs from the Hoenn region posing...rather suggestively next to some wildflowers. My cheeks grew hotter as I stared at it, unable to look away. _Something's not right here...It doesn't really look like a Gardevoir... Wait._ I focused my gaze at the top left corner of the photo to find the subject holding_ Kotone's hat_ in its left hand. I shoved my hand into my pocket and turned out of the room, only uncovering Ralt's eyes when we were quite a distance from that room.

"Mr. Silver...why did you cover my eyes?" I looked down to see him puffing out his cheeks. I quickly snapped my attention to the seemingly never-ending hallway ahead.

"N-nothing! There's nothing in there anyway! We have to keep moving!" I sped up my pace as he remained silent for a while, then giggled. "Wh-what's so funny?!"

"You're flustered!" I stopped dead and shook my head vigorously.

"I-I am not! How can you say that word anyway?! You're just a hatchling!" He let out a sigh as he poked my chest.

"Ms. Kotone taught me~! I can sense emotions...so she said I should learn 'em all!" I slowly started walking again as I let out a small chuckle.

"I'm pretty sure you don't know _all_ of the emotions, little guy!" I patted his head as we rounded the first corner we've seen the whole walk down here.

"Yeah huh! She held up little flashcards and taught 'em to me!" _Yeah, that sounds like something she'd do... Crazy Pigtails._

"Nope. There's some even _she_ doesn't know, so I'm sure that you don't—" I slammed myself inside of a door frame in the right wall as strains of whistling met my ears.

I held my breath, a young male grunt marched up the hallway as he broke into song, "So long as there are stars in the sky, Team Rocket shall never die!" _UGH! That song again!? I HATE THAT SONG! _"We shall rise a-bove in-to outer space, leaving our mark all o-ver the place! Hail~! Team Rock-et! All hail the Ki-" I heard his voice stop abruptly, then continue, "All hail the Queen! May she guide us in this mag-nif-icent race! May all soon hail that sweet and shin-ing face! ALL HAIL THE QUEEN~!" _...QUEEN?! IS HE DRUNK?!_

My heart pounded, he was almost right beside me. I held my breath as he marched on. "...Eep!" _Crap._ Ralts had let out a small squeak in fear, alerting the grunt of our presence. As he turned towards us with an open mouth, I caught his throat in the crook of my elbow and covered his mouth. I then gave him a sharp jab with my other elbow—making me uncover his mouth momentarily—to the back of his head. He fell to the floor below in a heap, leaving us in silence.

Finally, with a short gasp Ralts let out a screech. "You killed him! Why, Mr. Silver?! Why did you _kill _him?!" I groaned as I started walking away from the motionless man.

"I didn't _kill_ him, I simply knocked him unconscious. He's fine..."

"...What's un-con-chi-cous?" I held back a smile as I looked down as his confused face.

"It's...sorta like sleeping. You can't move, speak or do anything except lay there. He'll wake up, hopefully once we've gotten Kotone and left." He slowly gave me a smile and nodded, satisfied with my answer. I gave him a nod in return and sped up our pace; if we stumbled across a grunt here, we must be close to Kotone.

I noticed a golden glow coming from up ahead and sped up the speed into almost a run. _Wait, what's that?_ I strained my ears, only to hear that horrible song again. "Long live the Queen! May she rule us for-ev-er more!" _I'm guessing they must be drunk as well. Stupid grunts, always eager for a drink. _The large chorus broke into roars of laughter as I finally reached the doorway. I slowly tilted my head around the corner for a closer look.

The room was _swarming_ with grunts! Many were drinking as expected, some ate and others just crowded around something in the center of the room. _Oh look, a party. Probably celebrating kidnapping the Champion._ I could just recognize Proton at the top of the tight circle, laughing at something with a grin. Then, the crowd loosened up to reveal a petite figure twirling in circles in graceful dance. It looked _very_ familiar... _The Pokémon from the photo! It must be that Gardevoir!_ I felt sick to my stomach. This was a low form of abuse, even for them. The Gardevoir looked somehow...off.

That's when I heard it. The Pokémon stopped dancing for a moment, lifted up its left hand and laughed. Not just any laugh. A bubbly, cheerful giggle that could only belong to once person..._ KOTONE?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!_ My mind whirled back to Green's observations and the photograph. Then I recalled that Proton was pretty skilled in making costumes...

"That no good slimeball! That son of an Arcanine! I'll rip his throat out! I'll burn him to a crisp! I'll...I'll!" I slowly became aware of Ralts' shivering during my fuming and calmed down. The once-dancing figure slowly lifted its hand to the group before walking off to a large throne in the far back of the room. It stopped in front of it and then let itself fall into the chair lazily. _This is my chance!_

"I'm going to sneak in. I'll sneak right up to that throne and see if it's Kotone—OWCH!" I felt a sudden throb in my head, making me clutch it gingerly.

_What's going on?! Grouch? Is that you?_ I blinked as I suddenly heard _Green's_ voice in _my_ head. Then I looked down at Ralts. His eyes were glowing a vibrant blue; he was creating a mind link.

_Yeah...Everything alright on your end?_ I tilted my head; this was really wierd.

_Yeah, just a few lousy grunts but nothing the Gym Leader of Viridian City can't handle~! _I rolled my eyes, his cocky attitude was apparently louder in his head. _What's it like on your end?_ _Did ya' find anything yet?_

_Oh, nothing much. Just Proton and a room of hundreds of partying grunts...oh, and some Gardevoir that laughs like Kotone. _I grinned smugly as I heard his mental shock.

_WOAH! I'LL HEAD RIGHT OVER DON'T YOU DARE MOVE!_ Owch. Mental screaming hurts just as much as Kotone screaming in my ears.

_No way! I'm going to sneak in for a closer look; you'll just get in my way. I've done this plenty of times...I'll be fine. Have you seen Weavile yet? ...I'm worried about him._ Crap! That last part wasn't supposed to go through.

_Aw, you're actually showing feelings~! I'm so proud of you! Maybe there is a heart in there after_ _all~! _I growled as the Gym Leader sang in my mind, taunting my slip-up.

_Shut it, wise guy! I can't lose a strong team member like him to some worthless Rocket scum, that's all. Now, have you seen him?!_

_Yeah, don't worry! He's right here with me. He even took out a few grunts by himself..._ He seemed to pause for a moment, no doubt he would have sighed if we had been face-to-face._ Tell me, did you train him to kick a man in his dignity, or is that just something he's picked up from you?_

_...Kick a man in his dignity?! What are you talking about?! Speak real words, Kantoian!_ I felt a frown on my face as I found his words making absolutely no sense.

_His sensitive area, you nitwit!_

_Oh. That. Yeah, he taught himself that. Next time, say what you mean. I'm done talking with you, I'm heading in._ "Ralts, cut the link. I'm heading inside." I looked down to see him nod as the glow faded.

_No! Don't you DARE cut the link you—_ "Ack!" I grabbed my forehead as a stabbing pain whizzed through it. "What the heck, Ralts?!" I hissed through my teeth as the pain subsided. "Why does everything you do hurt?!"

"...I'm sorry, Mr. Silver. I try..." I sighed as I patted his head.

"...It's alright. Now, hide yourself well...I'm heading in." I patiently waited for the grunts to look away before I started to crawl along the floor to reach the odd 'Gardetone'. I winced as a glass was thrown to the wall above my head and shattered into thousands of little pieces. I quickly turned to find an especially drunk couple arguing. _Stupid idiots._ I continued my crawl unfazed until Proton headed towards me. Panicking, I rolled under the tablecloth of the refreshment table and waited.

His boots stalled for a while before I heard him call out, "Would your Majesty care for a drink~?" I rolled my eyes and made a puking gesture to Ralts. _Insane as always. And a buttkisser to boot._

I nearly choked when I heard a familiar giggle. "Sure, what is there to choose from?" _Kotone?! _Now I _knew_ I wasn't imagining that laugh.

"Oh, wine, beer, vodka...any alchohlic beverage really. Want some?"

"Uhh..." I could just see her biting her lip in thought in my mind's eye as she stalled. "I don't actually _drink_ that stuff... Do you have any Lemonade on you?"

Proton let out a soft sigh as to not be overheard, then replied in an overly cheerful tone. "Of course I do~!" He started to walk away and his voice ceased to reach my ears. I cautiously lifted the skirt of the cloth as I tried to locate Proton in the endless mass of black boots. Sure enough, he was over by the throne, handing 'Gardetone' a small bottle of Lemonade found in most vending machines. He then walked briskly off towards a green haired woman, leaving my target quietly sipping her drink alone.

I grinned at my good fortune and continued my crawl towards her, having a few close calls by uncoordinated feet nearly stomping on my hands. After about a half an hour of crawling—which was actually making my knees numb—I leaned against the back of the throne and let out a soft sigh. I casually glanced up to see a snow-white face with a green bob that divided her face in half smiling at me, her head cocked questioningly. I instinctively gulped; I had been spotted. Ralts squirmed eagerly as I stared into the pale hazel eyes, unable to move.

After a while she turned away and waved her right hand into the air. "Proton~!" I was taken aback for a second as she called out the despicable man who kidnapped her's name with a surprisingly convincing tone of cheer. _She's probably playing along to stay safe._ I nodded my head slightly, trying to reassure myself._ She may be gullible, but she's not a complete idiot...sometimes._

"Ah, yes?" His voice was very forced and came out almost as a hiss—most likely he was forcing a smile. "What is it?"

I heard her clear her throat before continuing in a shockingly demanding tone. "I wish to be alone for a while now, Proton. Escort all of the grunts—and yourself—to the hallway."

I heard him choke on a drink as he sputtered out a clarification. She simply repeated her request—more like a demand—as he let out a sigh. "Alright then. Everyone out!" Many yowls of protest were heard as he clapped his hands to emphasize the demand. "Out, out, _out_! You heard the young lady, now go!" He started walking away but his voice grew louder. "We'll just have a short bathroom break, that's all! Now get movin', you worthless blockheads! No, Phillip! Leave your darn drink! You can get it back once we're done out here! ...On second thought, you could do without! You're drunker than a Magicarp in a lake of wine!" I then heard the door slam shut, followed by an awkward silence.

I looked back up to find her staring at me once again, her smile wider than before. "...Silver!" _That's her voice! It's her! It's her!_ I scrambled to my feet as she bounded over to me and tackled me in one of her hugs. For once, I didn't object. In fact...I found myself closing my arms around her, relief flooding me that she was unharmed...or this was just a Ditto Kotone—but they can't talk last time I checked. "I'm so glad to see you..." She murmured lazily, as if she was suddenly tired. I just chuckled. _Yup, this is Kotone alright. Only she could act this way after being kidnapped by Team Rocket._

"Ms. Kotone!" Ralts popped out of my jacket and cuddled Kotone's face, making her release another giggle.

"Ralts?! How'd you get here, sweetiepie?! I'm so happy to see you~!" I rolled my eyes as she grabbed the small Pokemon and twirled him around in a circle, making her long skirt float up like a blossoming flower. "Yes I am! Yes I am; oh, you're so sweet~!"

I suddenly noticed a flash of red on the skirt's bottom edge. Fearing it might be blood, I snatched it up only to find a red 'R' stitched onto the gown. Even though it was small, I instantly felt revolted. "What is this?! Why are you wearing this?!"

"Eh?" Kotone stopped cuddling Ralts for a moment and blushed slightly. "I-I think it's actually kinda cute...I like looking like a Gardevoir."

I snarled as I showed her the bright red insignia. "THIS! Why do I keep finding you in Team Rocket clothing, woman!? Have you no _shame_ in wearing their _filth_?!" She just stared at me in utter confusion.

"Silver...it's just a tiny little 'R'. You could easily unstitch it..." She let Ralts climb onto her head as she gently took the fabric and started pulling on the red string. "See?" She handed me a mound of string, the horrible symbol now gone from her clothes. "All better, Silver. No need to get upset over it."

I dropped the thread onto the floor and grabbed her shoulders as I glared at her. "And furthermore, who put these clothes on you in the first place?!"

"...That," She held up her left index finger, then dropped it in a pout. "I have no idea. I actually forgot about that part to be honest." I let out a groan. _Probably Proton, that no good slimeball...! You're acting more out-there than usual! What's up with you?!_ "But anyway, I'm so happy to see you two! You wouldn't believe how busy it is down here!"

I rolled my eyes. _You never take these things seriously! You're always just eager to go and you never stop to think of the cost!_ "I bet. I haven't seen this many grunts in one place since...since..." _Since that black-haired boy tried to take Giovanni out._

"I know! It's so crazy, I had no idea there were so many grunts left after the Radio Tower incident!" She let out a sigh as she went on, "But...I'm just so happy you're here!" She suddenly gave me another hug as I gasped for air. "You have no _idea_ how much I missed you!"

"...I'm sure it was unbearable being alone with Team Rocket for so long."

I watched as she slowly lifted her face to me and smiled, her eyes having a slightly deeper shade of pink than my last glimpse into her sweet eyes. **"I'm just so glad you came to visit me~!"**

* * *

**Author's Note: DUN DUN DAhHHHHH! Things are getting really interesting, aren't they? Well, I'd like to point out that Green will be playing a pretty substantial part in this series; you'll be seeing more of him a little later in the plot. I'd like to once again thank all of you guys for your support! I love hearing from you!**


	10. Chapter Seven: Kidnapped!

***~~*Chapter 7: Kidnapped?!: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I watched with confusion as Silver's face fell and his mouth dropped open. "V-v-visit you?! What the heck are you talking about, Kotone!? I came all the way from your stupid hometown to _save_ your kidnapped behind, not to _visit_ you!"

I broke away and cocked my head at his sudden change in behavior. _One minute, you act pretty sweet to me...then you're yelling again! You're so confusing!_ "...Save me? Why would you need to save me? They've been so kind to me! You of all people should know that!"

"Do you hear what you're saying?!" He grabbed my shoulders and started to violently shake me. "You! Were! Kidnapped! By! Team! Rocket! These people _stole_ you! You can't be serious!" I pulled away and took a few steps back, utterly dumbfounded by his aggression.

"Of course I'm serious! I'm the Queen of Team Rocket, Silver! I don't understand why you keep going on about being kidnapped!" Ralts suddenly fainted behind me, but I was too absorbed in what Silver was saying to care. "I think you've gone crazy!"

"No, Kotone! _You've _gone crazy!" He suddenly pulled out a white belt with six Pokéballs clipped to it from under his jacket. "Do you recognize this?!"

I raised an eyebrow at him and shook my head. "I didn't realize your Pokéballs were so _girly_, Silver! Does white even match your clothes?"

"Answer the question, Kotone! Answer the question!" I flinched as I saw what looked like tears in his eyes.

"Of course I do. I recognize your stupid belt, O.K? Happy?" I crossed my arms and scowled as he growled at me.

"_My belt_?! How could you think this is _my_ belt?! It's your belt, idiot!" He started to unclip the Pokéballs, handing me one with a sticker in the shape of a small fire above the summon button. "What's in this Pokéball, Kotone?! Tell me!"

I slowly turned it over in my hands, analyzing it carefully. _It's familiar, no doubt about that... I feel like I should know this._ Suddenly, the ball burst open in a flash of red light; a Typhlosion suddenly grabbed me roughly and pulled me into its stomach.

"Tyty! Phlo Phlo!" It started to nuzzle my cheek as I fought for fresh air.

"Control your Pokémon, Silver! I can't breathe!" I finally managed to push my head above the strong arms and glare at Silver, upset that he let his Pokémon run amuck. The Typhlosion released me and stared at me in shock, obviously hurt by...something.

Silver stood there for a while, shaking slightly before looking up at me in utter terror. "Kotone... This isn't funny! Stop messing around! You _know_ this dumb oaf isn't mine!

"I'm not messing around! I don't understand why you're acting so strange! How am I supposed to know this dumb creature?!" I stuck my index finger into the Typhlosion's gut while it let out a roar. It tried to grab my arm, but I pulled away before it had the chance.

"Dumb creature?!" He shook his head violently before stomping his right foot. "It's Blitz, you idiot! Your _starter_! Don't you remember?! What did they do to you?!" He pulled my left arm and glared as a tear streaked down his cheek. "What happened to you?!"

"I'm fine, you're the one acting so strange! You keep asking me stupid questions and acting so violent! Save the rage for your next mission, alright?! I don't appreciate being treated like this!"

"...M-mission?! What are you—" His grip on my arm loosened, allowing me to free myself from his grasp.

"You know, your next assignment?! Your one of Team Rocket's best operatives, my most trusted executive and the son of Giovanni! You're like, my most trusted adviser! Even _Proton_ is below you!" I poked his nose as I grinned, hoping he was just testing my loyalty. _Very funny, Silver. Very funny! Like I would turn to the side of weaklings! I have an organization to run!_

"...Kotone..." He slowly released his grip and stared at the floor, his shoulders shaking. I cocked my head and placed my right hand on his shoulder, hoping I didn't fail his exam. "...What did they do to you?"

_What is he talking about?! He's making me feel so stupid right now! I can't figure out this game of his!_ "Silver...did I say something wrong?"

* * *

*~~*Silver's Viewpoint*~~*

_What did he do to you?!_ My head throbbed as I stood there, staring at the wooden floor under my feet. _This isn't making any sense! It's like you've been...no. No! They couldn't have! Last time they tried it, it wore off in five minutes! They couldn't have actually...!_ "Kotone...I'm going to ask you another question...and I want you to think hard about this and answer as best as you can." I slowly lifted my head to see her frowning at me, her eyes narrow. I stared into her eyes for a while as she waited. _It looks...off. They almost look...pinkish._

"Go on..." She cocked her head in anticipation.

"...What happened at the Radio Tower?" This was it, the one thing she'd never forget. The one thing that she never wanted to be brought up. She had to know this, she _had_ to.

"...Well," She removed her hand from my shoulder as she thought. "We sent all of our executives to the Tower in an effort to contact Giovanni; this was back when I was an apprentice to Proton and you were against us—so happy that's over by the way. We were just about to start the message when a raven-haired boy walked in wearing a Team Rocket uniform and," I cut her off, utterly shocked by the lies she was spewing.

"'A raven-haired boy'?! His name is _Ethan Gold_ and he—" She waved her hand to silence me as she continued with her twisted testimony.

"Yeah, that's his name. I knew it was something stupid. Well anyway, he went up to the guard at the stairs and said he was a new recruit—I remember thinking that it was weird because I already met the orange-haired boy who was supposed to meet us there—and tried to get past the guard. Then _you_ burst in, fuming how you're gonna stop us and stuff when you spy the boy out of the corner of your eye. You turn to him and yell that you know him and that he'd better take that costume off or else and then—" I grabbed her shoulders and shook her again as she slammed her eyes shut and winced, desperate to find _some_ of the real Kotone in there.

"THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN! _You_ snuck into the Radio Tower and tried to get past the guard when I came in and—" I stopped for a moment, unsure if I should continue. She slowly opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow questioningly. I sighed. _I have to do this... this might just work._ "And I yelled at you, claiming that you couldn't be one of them and that you were stronger than them. Then I yelled that you had better take that ridiculous outfit off, otherwise I would make you...You refused and I...I..."

"Go on..." She blinked as I grew red, embarrassed by my own foolishness.

"I grabbed you by the shoulders, ripped your costume off in a fit of rage and stormed off, leaving you in your undershirt and a pair of shorts!" I watched as her face grew probably as red as my own and she shook her head furiously. I released my grip and turned away, unable to think of anything else to say.

"GHAH!" I spun around at the scream; Kotone was grabbing her head and bent over in obvious pain. Before I could do anything, she stood up straight and glared at me with her vibrant hazel eyes. _Wait...how'd her eyes get so bright again?!_ "I can't believe you keep bringing that up! What's wrong with just leaving it behind us, Silver?!"

"Kotone...?" I blinked as she clenched her fists and then turned towards the now sobbing Typhlosion on the floor.

"Blitz?! What's wrong, buddy? It's O.K! Shhh..." She nuzzled her face into his navy blue fur as he jolted to attention, shocked as much as I was by her strange change in behavior. He stood there for a while before grabbing her in his arms and lifting her in the air. "Woah!" She let out a giggle as they spun around. "I haven't seen you like this since we beat Lance! You're so crazy sometimes, Blitz!"

"Alright...now I'm officially confused." They stopped and stared at me as I pointed at her. "Next question, where are we?"

Her partner slowly lowered her to her feet as she looked at me with utter confusion. "Question? Uhhh..." She looked around for a moment before shrugging her shoulders at me. "I have no idea where we are...or how I got here...last thing I remember was seeing a giant painting of Giovanni and then this talking Persian...and then Proton..." Her eyes grew wide as she mentioned Proton's name. "He sent out this Hypno, it waved its little pendulum back and forth and then I blacked out!"

"...Then they've learned how to hypnotize people effectively then. That's just wonderful. That means that—Owch!" I suddenly felt a sharp stab in my ankles and I bolted my attention to the floor to find a Espeon and Umbreon biting my ankles, their eyes furious slits. "Let go you little—"

"Oh, how cute~!" Kotone simply scooped them into her arms and started cooing at them, their faces in obvious shock. "You two are just so adorable~! But don't go biting my Silvy, that's not nice at all!"

"Wait, _your Silvy_?! What are saying!?" I felt my face burn as she continued babying the little monsters, unaware of my protests. _Wait...RALTS!_

I turned to find little Ralts back on his feet—although he was obviously shaken. "Ralts! You alright little guy?" I patted his head as he tugged on my pant leg, asking to be picked up. I gave in to his whim and he buried his face into my jacket and started mumbling. "I can't understand you when you talk into my jacket, Ralts."

"They've hyp-no-tized Ms. Kotone! I could tell by her thoughts! It's almost like there's two of her in there!" He pointed to Kotone, still busy suffocating the poor Pokemon with affection as they yowled in confusion. "She needs help!"

"What?! What am I supposed to do, take her to Nurse Joy and say, 'Hey Miss! My rival's been hypnotized into thinking she's the Queen of Team Rocket! Could ya' fix her for me'?!" He giggled as he nodded. I just let out a sigh and slowly analyzed Kotone's condition.

Sure, I could take her into town...if I wanted people to think she walked out of a costume shop! She looked utterly ridiculous with all that make-up on, and that wig... I shuddered involuntarily at the mint green mass on her head. _Never knew I would miss her stupid pigtails and overalls so much..._ I slowly let my gaze fall to the gown's skirt and choked, my eyes nearly bulging out of my skull. Her dress had a _huge_ split that went right between her legs, exposing almost all of her narrow legs—which were thankfully covered with white tights—to the open air. _I swear, I'll kill Proton with my bare hands! I'll kill him, I'll kill him, I'll kill him!_ It was then I noticed a black belt of Pokéballs hanging crookedly across her hips. _What the...? Where'd she get those from?_

"Kotone, why do you have those?" I pointed to the belt, as she snapped out of her trance and blinked at me.

"Have what? These little cuties?" I shook my head and jabbed the air.

"No, the belt. Where'd you get that?" She looked down to her waist as I sighed. "No, it's under your dress, idiot!" I looked away as she let the Pokémon hop to the floor as she pulled the skirt of her dress aside, revealing the belt. I glanced back to see her holding the belt in her hands, her eyes wide and face slightly pink—although I'm sure it was burning red under all of that make-up.

"I-I don't know! Maybe if I let one of them out, I'll remember or something..." She gently tossed the second-to-last Pokéball into the air and revealed the long body of a Dragonair. I let my mouth fall open at the sight of the thirty-one foot long Dragon Pokémon wrapping itself around Kotone's thin frame.

"Kotone!" I reached my hand out only to be met with...laughter. Upon closer inspection, the Pokémon was licking her cheek eagerly, revealing a splotch of her skin under her make-up. "What the...?"

"S-stop it! That really tickles! P-Please!" The Pokémon obeyed, slowly uncoiled itself and layed patiently on the floor as if awaiting its next order. "It seems to know me..."

"...Maybe these were Pokémon given to you by Proton. My—" I bit my tounge as I realized what I had almost said. I cleared my throat and continued, "Giovanni had plenty of Pokémon he used to battle with at the old Viridian Gym..." Suddenly, I recalled that I hadn't come here alone. "Crap! I forgot about Green!"

At the mention of the Gym Leader, Kotone perked up. "Green?! What do you mean?! Is he alright—?!"

A sudden, arrogant laugh filled the air, making us spin towards the door in shock. "I'm just fine, Pigtails. Although, I wish I could say the same about the grunts I just took out on my way over. They'll be feeling that for a while!"

"Green~!" Kotone rushed over to the door and tackled the young Gym Leader as he let out another laugh. "It's so good to see you! I thought Silver came here all alone for a while there!"

_Stupid Pretty Boy and stupid Pigtails and their stupid friends! I wish I could smash this guy's face in sooo bad right now!_ I slowly walked over and snorted at the still hugging duo. "I _would_ have if this idiot hadn't _begged_ me to let him tag along! He was practically _bawling_!" I smirked as his mouth dropped open.

"Why you little! I didn't _beg_ anything! I wanted to make sure _you_ didn't end up in tomorrow's obituaries!" He pushed Kotone aside and strode over to me, bending over and glaring at my face. "You smug little—!"

"Silver! Oh Silver, there you are!" I tilted my head just in time to see Weavile pounce on me, the force of which knocked me over. He nuzzled my cheeks frantically as I quickly closed my arms around him, eager to see him after he disappeared.

"Don't you _ever_ run off like that again, you idiot! You had me worried sick! I swear, if one of those grunts got ahold of you, I'd never forgive myself!" I was suddenly interrupted by a bout of roaring laughter. I quickly looked up to find Green doubled over with laughter, while Kotone simply gave me that sweet smile of hers that means 'I knew you cared'. I released my grip, making Weavile look at me with a disappointed look on his face.

"I knew you had feelings in there, Grouch! Oh, the look on your face when he tackled you! I swear, it was the best thing since Red—" He suddenly stopped his laughing and stood up straight, clearing his throat while avoiding eye contact. Kotone shifted nervously as if a Beedrill had stung her back in a place she couldn't reach. "We shouldn't hang around like this...We should get going." _What was that about? ...Red? It...sounds familiar._

"...Right. I'll get everyone in their Pokéballs so that we can get out of here." She walked past me with a look of sympathy on her face; I could tell that whatever it was, she knew something that Green didn't...and she wasn't telling.

Weavile reached for my belt as I pulled out his Pokéball. As I was about to recall him, I turned around to find Kotone whispering something to her Typhlosion, her face hidden in its ear. She recalled him slowly and then turned towards us. I looked away, unwilling to let her know I had been watching. I felt my cheeks grow a tad warmer as Weavile snickered at my behavior.

"Everyone accounted for? People and Pokémon all here?" Green cocked his head, still unwilling to look us in the eye. I nodded as I'm sure Kotone did the same. "Good, then let's—"

The doors suddenly burst open to reveal a furious grunt with shoulder-length green hair, a powerful Houndour at her side. "_Queen Kotone!_ Not to worry, my queen! I'm here to apprehend these weaklings!"

I turned towards Green as he slammed his palm into his face and groaned. "I _knew_ I shouldn't have gone easy on her! Stupid manners!" _More like stupid hormones. You just _scream_ flirt and I've only known you for what? A few hours or so?_ I narrowed my eyes as the woman raced over to Kotone, knocking Green and I away, making my Pokémon growl at her back.

"Let go of me!" Kotone struggled as the grunt's grip found a hold on her shoulders. I let out a snarl as I slowly inched closer to the grunt, ready to pounce on her without a second thought.

The woman went on, oblivious to the struggling girl's complaints. "Don't worry, I'll send these pathetic fools packing for you! You need not lift a single finger!" She suddenly spun around and pointed at my Pokémon with a scowl. "Houndour! Use Flamethrower!" The Dark Pokémon let out an obedient bark before opening his mouth, the flames already lapping eagerly out of the edges. I quickly leaped back as the flames nearly hit my shoes. My heart raced with excitement, eager to have a battle—even if it was with some Team Rocket scum.

"Gah! Weavile!" I looked to see my partner already smirking, crouched and ready for attack. "Hit that pest with an Ice Beam!" I didn't really _care_ that it wasn't a good match-up, I just wanted to get the heck out of here.

My Pokémon nodded and spat out the chilling blue with little effort. The Houndour yipped as it collided with the left side of his face, freezing it over. "Houndour, you worthless excuse for a Pokémon! You better not freeze on me or it's curtains for you!" Kotone managed to pry herself from the woman's grip as she became too absorbed in verbally abusing her Pokémon. The Dark Pokémon let out a quiet whimper before snarling at us, his red eyes fixated on my partner.

_And to think...I used to talk to my team like that._ I let out a shudder before glaring at our opponent, Kotone dashing over to Green. He quickly checked her over before cheering at me, encouraging me to 'show no mercy'. _As if I need a reminder of that!_ "Weavile, dash up to Houndour!" My Pokémon beamed as he raced the short distance, the command catching the two off guard. "Now, fling him high!" Sharp claws connected with black fur, making the Dark Pokémon howl in pain. The woman gasped as her Pokémon was tossed above our heads with ease, leaving Weavile kneeling as he waited for the final shot.

I smirked as I felt the taste of victory edge closer, its sweet taste taunting my tounge. "Now, Beat Up!" The Sharp Claw Pokémon laughed as his hands glowed, the power of the shadows engulfing his dagger-like claws. He leaped high into the air, giving the unfortunate Houndour a slash similar to a Shadow Claw attack. He quickly turned in midair, launching himself again and again at the victim, changing angles with each shot. His claws glowed blue, a burning red, a consuming navy, a whisping black and plum fog and finally a metallic silver with golden tips before he landed gracefully on the floor, facing me with a proud smirk. The Houndour sank like a stone, hitting the ground with a cloud of dust and broken woodchips, its body motionless.

I let out a laugh as my partner and I rushed to our awaiting teammates, their faces frozen with shock. "If you'll excuse us pest, we have places to be!" I gave them a shove to snap them to attention and started heading for the door. Green quickly grabbed Kotone by the wrist and started picking up speed.

"C'mon, you two!" Kotone and I started to burst into a run as we turned out of the oaken doors, heading left towards the awaiting exit. "We've gotta get out of here before—!" Green was cut off by an angry shout from behind us, making us freeze in our tracks. My eyes widened as we found Proton racing towards us, an angry ocean of grunts pouring around the corner he had just passed.

"Crap!" Green let out a shriek, turning back towards our way out and booking it for the safety of the outside world. "Let's get out of here!" I simply grunted as I easily matched his speed, slowly passing the Gym Leader. Weavile was basically a speed-demon, he could outrun us to the exit any day of the week. Kotone nearly tripped once or twice as she struggled to match Green's larger stride.

"Get back here! You'll never escape us!" I looked over my shoulder to find Proton slowly falling behind, his mob of minions still overflowing like a flooded river. I let out a mocking laugh that sounded just like the ones Proton used to give me.

"Yeah right, loser! See ya' never!" I kept on laughing, even when the laughs came out as gasps for air. Finally, after what felt like an endless cycle, we found ourselves climbing the stairs up to the surface.

"It's so dark in here!" Kotone suddenly let out a shriek as I heard a thump behind me. I turned to just make out her kneeling a few steps behind us; she had obviously tripped.

"Well, let me help you!" I found myself growling as Green stooped to pick her up. Ignoring the fact that we were running for our lives, I shoved him aside and grabbed Kotone's arms.

"No! I'll carry her! You keep going!" I grunted as I lifted her onto my back, a rumble coming from both the angry Green and the ascending mob of Rockets behind us. I started to gradually return to a run—although slightly slower under the slight weight. Her arms tightened around my neck, her breath still uneven from her attempts at matching our pace. My heart was beating even faster now, most likely from the continued use of adrenaline to fuel the breakneck speed I had been going before becoming Kotone's mode of transportation.

"Do _I_ have any say in this?" Her voice was small, her words coming out in pants. I let out a laugh as we busted out of my father's suits and raced for the door.

"Not a single word. We're trying to survive here, woman; there's no time for arguing." I heard Green growl as we now approached the still-open front door, the skies now radiating a bright orange as the sun lowered. I beamed as I found Speedy still resting where I had left him, pecking the dirt intently.

"Speedy?" I let her climb down as we huffed at the Triple Bird Pokemon's side, Green anxiously looking towards the door. "What's he doing here?"

"Less questions, more leaving!" Green suddenly shoved both of us closer to the Pokémon, I pulled out Weavile's Pokéball and recalled him; I highly doubted I could fit the both of us _and_ the smart-mouthed Pokémon on the bird's back. "He can explain later!"

"Stop right there!" I frantically turned towards the door; the were getting really close now if I could hear them.

"Right! C'mon, Kotone!" I grabbed her hand and tried to climb on the awaiting Dodrio's back. I had already climb up when she stopped and grabbed her head, pulling her hand from my grasp.

"Kotone?" Green quickly looked from the door to us, worry written all over his face. "Go! You two need to get out of here before they see you leave!"

She looked up at me in confusion, her once vibrant eyes now returning to a slightly pink shade. "Wait...where are we going, Silver?" _What?! Is she crazy?!_

"We don't have _time_ for this!" The screams were getting louder, they had to be close to the door by now. "We're heading home! Get up here!" Her eyes grew wide before she suddenly tried to dash away, Green grabbed her under her arms quickly and picked her up with ease.

"No! Put me down, weakling!" She squirmed in his grip as he desperately tried to place her behind me. "HELP! I'm being kidnapped!"

"Cut it _out_, Kotone!" I quickly grabbed her arms and tried to pull her on the now shifting back. "We don't have time to play _crazy girl_ right now!" Green finally managed to sit her down in front of me, I quickly grabbed the reins and wrapped my arms around her to keep her from trying to jump off. The position wasn't the most comfortable, but I managed.

"Now, you two get going!" Green started walking backwards, away from us with worried eyes. "I'll head towards Pallet Town to throw them off your trail!" He then quickly pulled out a Pokéball and tossed it to the ground, allowing his Arcanine to stand before him. He mounted the Legendary Pokémon and gave us a nod as I motioned for Speedy to start leaving. "They'll probably follow my trail if I'm riding a Pokémon; they know we couldn't have gotten here so fast on foot." The screams were getting louder now and Kotone was still squirming, yelling all sorts of accusations at me.

"Right, take care!" Speedy headed towards the Pokémon League, trotting for a short while before breaking into a run. We had almost left Viridian City's left entrance behind us when Green's voice rang through the air.

"And don't forget to call me when you get there, darn it!"

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm so very sorry I took so long to update! I was sidetracked by both ****_"Ethan Gold V.S Silver—A War of Two Metals" _****and my Rocket!Au ****_"The Pains of Being in Charge"_****. I'm really sorry about taking so long with this, especially since I have these chapters all ready to go... "orz My apologies. **

**This is a longer chapter for sure, so that might make it up to you guys! This is actually the first time I've ever written a battle, so I hope it's a good one!**


	11. Chapter Eight: Unwanted Assistance

***~~*Chapter 8: Unwanted Assistance: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I kept screaming at the now obviously traitor Silver as the strange bird Pokémon raced farther and farther away from my headquarters, kicking the air and tossing about. "Let me go right now! How _dare_ you kidnap me! I can't believe you've turned soft on me, Silver! I _trusted_ you!" I heard him growl as I slammed into his crossed arms that held me in front of him, the scenery becoming nothing but a blur of drab color as evening fell.

"Will you _quit_ it?! I'm trying to save you, idiot! I swear, that Team Rocket is going to pay for this!" He slowly looked down at me with a somewhat sad expression. He went on, his voice barely above a whisper, "Don't worry...I'm going to fix you as soon as I can...Just hang in there, Kotone."

"Fix me?!" I leaned back and glared up at his upside-down face. My gaze focused on his sharp eyes as I snapped back, "You're the one who needs fixed, Silver! The son of the great Giovanni, heir to the throne and you have the _nerve_ to go rogue on me!? How long have you been working for those soft-hearted freaks?! Two months?! Five months?!" His eyes narrowed as I went on, the corners of his eyes shimmering slightly. "Since when has my best friend been my enemy, lying in wait to ambush me in my own home?!" He simply let out out a huff and snapped his attention back to the path ahead of the foul-smelling bird.

"...You have no idea what you're saying. You're just a victim of Proton's evil plot...You'll be back to your sweet self in no time at all...Things will be back to normal soon enough." I sneered; he was trying to reassure himself of nothing but utter _lies_.

"I could say the same thing about you, _Silver_." I spat out his name with such hatred, I felt his body stiffen behind me. I slowly smirked as I felt a plan emerge in my mind. _I'll play along with this game of his; sure, I'll protest ever so slightly and still make his life a nightmare...but I'll be quiet for the rest of this ride. Then, when he's fast asleep, I'll sneak away, steal this bird thing and race back home to my awaiting Team Rocket! The Queen of Team Rocket won't be beaten, not even by _you_, Silver._

I slowly faked a yawn and closed my eyes, making Silver relax behind me. I could just barely hear him let out a short chuckle before pulling me closer to him, my head resting upon his chest. "Apparently, yelling at me for a good half hour has exhausted you. Thank Lugia! Now we can get you home without anymore fighting." I could hear his heartbeat, its usually steady rhythm now an endless pounding. _That's right...take my bait, Silver. Take the delicious bait and fall right into my trap._ I simply leaned back and listened to the erratic drum for a good quarter of an hour, the bouncing from the bird Pokémon jolting me with its every step.

I felt the rushing winds slowly fade away for a moment before suddenly switching direction, blowing from behind us. It felt as if we had stopped moving for now; the steady bouncing had ceased upon the wind's change. Silver's chest pressed against me for a minute before he let out a sigh of relief. "Finally! Stupid New Bark Town." I slowly opened my eyes to see him staring back at me, his silver eyes wide for a heartbeat before relaxing, a small smile forming on his face. "Kotone, you're home now. Everything's going to be just fine."

I let out another fake yawn before looking up at him sleepily. _If I want to trick him, I'm going to have to do this _perfectly_. Silver isn't a fool; he can see through most disguises._ "Silver..." My voice was barely a whisper as I shifted on the Pokemon's back. Silver's cheeks grew a slight shade of pink as I went on. "I'm tired..."

He chucked as he slowly slipped off of the bird's back. He grabbed its reins and lead it slowly towards a cream-colored house with a large front porch. "I bet you are after all the fuss you made back there. C'mon, I'll take you home so you can get some rest. Besides, it's getting late anyway." He motioned for the bird to wait at the bottom of the steps before he slowly walked up to the door and gave it a quiet knock. Almost instantly, the door swung open, nearly hitting Silver in the face as an older woman with greyish-brown hair raced down the steps, oblivious to Silver's complaints.

"Oh, my darling Koto! You're home~!" She quickly pulled me off of the feathered back of the Pokémon and straight into her arms, giving me a tight embrace. _Oh great...I have _no_ idea who this woman is. I'll just be quiet until someone provides a name for me._ She suddenly straightened her arms, holding me out in front of her as her startling green eyes narrowed at my attire. "And what in the _world_ are you _wearing_?!" She suddenly snapped her head to Silver, making him jump slightly under her harsh gaze. "What did you do to my daughter?! She looks like she's straight out of some costume shop!"

He growled as he folded his arms, metallic eyes narrow as he tried to seem unintimidated by apparently my 'mother'. "I _found_ her like that! What do you think I did, tote her off to some middle-of-nowhere—!" He slammed his mouth shut, obviously thinking better of his sentence. He cleared his throat before going on, "Team Rocket must have disguised her to get past the guard at the League, I honestly had no part in this." The woman motioned that she would be watching him before turning her attention back to me with a smile.

"Let's get you cleaned up, darling; I'm sure you must be exhausted and starving, you haven't eaten since this morning!" As if on cue, my stomach growled eagerly, making both the woman and Silver smile at me. She started to lead me inside, stopping momentarily before she passed Silver. She waited for a while before clearing her throat. "I'm...sorry I accused you of taking my daughter. It's just that..." She looked down with a sigh before continuing, "My little Koto is everything to me; she's the only family I have left in this world and I'm not about to lose her so early." Silver gave her a nod before she looked back up at his face, genuine tears in her eyes. "Thank you for bringing her home. Thank you." He gave her a small smile before she nodded and turned her attention back to the open door of the home. "You go ahead and return Speedy to Ethan; tell him that Kotone's back home for me, will you?" She returned to leading me inside as Silver started to reluctantly leave.

"I will...Ma'am. I'll be right back." He slowly picked up the reins, the Pokémon nuzzling his chest as he did so—much to his shock. He began to lead it away when the woman turned around and called for him to wait.

She paused for a while, as if unsure if she wanted to actually say what she was thinking. "There'll be a plate for you as well, I can't expect you to head to Cherrygrove City's Pokémon Center so late at night. We have a guest room up in the attic that you could use..." Silver face lit up, a grin stretching across his face at the prospect of a free meal and lodging. "However," Her voice suddenly soured as she became stern. "Don't you _dare_ try anything with my daughter! I'll be watching you, Silver. _Always_ watching." He and I both shuddered involuntarily as her warning rang clear, this supposed mother of mine was quite the protective one.

"I-I won't, Ma'am." He gave her a nervous nod before continuing on his way as I found myself being nudged inside once more. _Hmm...This might be harder than I thought._ Not wanting to seem _too_ resistant, I walked inside of the house, jumping slightly as the door shut behind us.

I was now in the living room; a red couch sat behind an oak coffee table and an expensive, black flat-screen television standing in front of them all. There was a matching armchair a short distance from the couch, most likely the mother's spot seeing as there was an open magazine lying face down on the seat. The walls were a soothing blue while the floors were a dark hardwood throughout the home. I turned my attention to the nearby dining room and stared at the oak dining table, staring at the four lonely chairs and the waiting white bowls that sat upon the glossy surface. _Hmm...Small living space...simple furnishings._

I walked ahead, staring at the light oak table sitting in the entryway. Next to a vase of Pecha blossoms sat a small photograph. I picked it up to find a girl who looked similar to me holding up a large trophy, an excited Typhlosion holding _her_ up as a man with spiky red hair wearing a black cape clapped his hands behind them. Confetti fell from the sky around them, shimmering in the air like small embers. _This looks...hauntingly familiar._ I felt the beginnings of a small headache, making me sit the photo back down quickly and walked past.

The woman behind me cleared her throat, making me turn to her with a startled look. "You seem awfully quiet, Koto." She walked closer to me, placing her left hand on my shoulder. "Is everything alright, little one?" _GAH! How dare she call me 'little one'! I am the Queen of Team Rocket, not an infant!_ I gave her a fake smile as I shook my head.

"I'm just fine...Mother." Her eyes widened for a moment before she released my shoulder. "I'm just hungry and tired, that's all." She gave me a nod before pointing to a flight of stairs hiding behind the wall that lead to the kitchen.

"Well, I've already put some clean clothes out for you in the bathroom. Go ahead and get washed up while I finish making dinner, alright sweetie?" I gave her a nod, even though I had _no_ idea where the bathroom was.

"Got it. I'll...go do that right now." I turned on my heel and marched right up the steps, trying to think of a way I could pull this off. I found myself in a narrow hallway, another flight of stairs waiting at the opposite end. I opened the door closest to me on my left, hoping to find the bathroom. Instead, I was attacked by an avalanche of towels from the closet I had just opened. With a harsh growl, I shoved the towels back in and slammed the door shut, not caring if I had caught a few in the door as I shut it.

I then turned my attention to the next door; a door on the right a little ways down. I opened it to find a blue bedroom, obviously the master suite. Letting out another growl under my breath, I speed-walked to the last door on the right, passing a door on my left.

I opened it to find a reasonably-sized bedroom with pink walls and bright, slightly yellow hardwood floors. There was a decent-sized bed with white blankets, a cream comforter with many different cherry blossoms designs stitched upon it. A pair of beanbags, one of a Snorlax and one of a Munchlax sitting side by side nearby an expensive looking laptop computer that was sitting on a white desk. A long shelf lined with assorted Pokémon plush toys stretched across the room, a shelf on almost every wall excluding the wall above the bed. I felt like gagging at the overdose of frilly happiness. _How old is this girl?! What a childish weakling!_ I walked inside to find two doors inside of the room.

Opening the first one on the right side, I found a walk-in closet filled with mostly the same sets of overalls, pink jackets, black undershirts and white marshmallow hats that would swallow your whole head. There were a few assorted dresses as well, mainly in pale blues and a few in pink as well, but also a single white sundress in the back. I rolled my eyes as I shut the door. _She dresses like a five-year old!_

I then turned my attention to the door on the left, the door already open. I peered inside to find a small bathroom, the decor still matching the attached bedroom. On the long vanity sink's countertop sat a pair of red flannel pajamas, a small Cyndaquil stitched on the chest pocket. I rolled my eyes; apparently, I was to be a fashion disaster for the time being. I smirked as I unclipped my hidden weapon, my belt of my Pokémon from Proton, and layed it quietly on the marble surface. I then proceeded to get ready for the shower, not looking forward to the stream of make-up that would soon flow down my face. _I just hope that I can fool that mother; they always put up quite the fight._

* * *

*~~*Silver's Viewpoint*~~*

Something was off with Kotone, even excluding the whole brainwashing thing. There was no way that she had fallen asleep on that ride over here; her breathing was too irregular for that. I had the sneaking suspicion that Kotone was planning something, perhaps an escape plan of sorts. So, I was pretty lucky that her mother had offered me to spend the night at their house, even if it meant sleeping in an attic. I had to make sure she didn't try to run back to those rotten scumbags, even if it meant spying on her when her mother wasn't looking. _Not that I'm eager to be spending the night at her house instead of the Pokémon Center. Nope, not eager at all... I'm _certainly_ not curious to see what she does when she's at home or how she gets along with her mother, not _one_ bit._ I slowly smiled as I knocked on Ethan Gold's door; if there _was_ something I was eager about, it was rubbing the fact that I had rescued Kotone while he stayed home in his childish face.

A young woman with jet-black hair answered the door, her long hair slowly curling at the ends and wrapping around her shoulders. She was wearing a simple green dress and matching slippers, obviously caught off guard by my arrival. She stared at me for a moment before focusing on my cowlick. She suddenly gasped and gave a small smile.

"You must be that boy Silver who my son talks about so much!" Her voice was calm, similar to the sounds of a peaceful evening in the way they lulled you into security. "I can tell by that cute tuft of hair on your little head~!"

Embarrassed, I slowly petted the hairpiece, trying to nudge it flat on my head. It simply bounced back up as my cheeks grew hot. I cleared my throat before pointing at Speedy.

"I'm here to return Ethan's bird. I had to borrow it to rescue Kotone." She gave me a furious nod before turning behind her and calling up towards a nearby flight of stairs.

"Ethy! Silver's here to see you~!" She gave me a smile before walking away, heading towards the kitchen. I rolled my eyes as a storm of frantic feet raced down the steps, making enough noise to wake a hibernating Snorlax from its slumber. His Marill bounced behind him, chanting as it danced around his feet. He bent over upon reaching the door, hands on his thighs, panting for his breath and his cheeks bright red. He looked up at me with his golden eyes shining, an expectant smile on his face.

"So," He puffed out his words, still desperate for breath. "Did ya' get her back?! Please tell me you got her!" I narrowed my eyes and motioned towards her house.

"Of course I did, you idiot. Like I would decided to leave her with those dirt-for-brains! She at home with her mother, probably taking a shower to wash off all that make-up they put on her!" His eyes grew wide and his cheeks burst into a darker shade of red.

"Make-up?! What in the world happened to her?! Did they make her dance around for their amusement or something?! Tell me, Silver! I gotta know what happened!" I sighed before recounting the events of the afternoon up until this evening, his face reacting to everything I said. I left out the supply closet however, I didn't want him to know about those photos of Kotone. By the time I finished, I was sitting in his green living room as Speedy nuzzled his owner, happy to be reunited with the black-haired boy.

For a long time, he remained silent as his mouth hung open, his gold eyes wide. Then, he finally started to speak. "Wow! That's amazing! I had no idea there were so many grunts still around! I mean, it's not cool that they're around but it's kinda mind-blowing when you think about it! I wish I could have been there; I would have blasted those fools with Marill's Hydro Pump!" His words gushed out in a constant stream, flowing on for what felt like _hours_. Finally, I held up my hands as I stood up, eager to leave the obviously overly excited boy's household.

"I hate to leave your...comfortable home, but I have to get going. I actually have to sleep tonight, you know." I started to head for the door, but Ethan suddenly slid ahead of me, his arms spread out to barricade me.

"Wait!" He looked up at me as his Marill tugged on my left pantleg, trying to aid in her owner's efforts. "You can stay at my place for the night! I've got a spare bedroom down the hall from me and I even have pizza to boot!" He smiled as I found myself imagining a whole night of nothing but board games, talking and a hyper Ethan. I cringed and shook my head furiously.

"I can't stay. Kotone's mother already offered her spare bedroom and promised me a full meal, too." His smile fell along with his arms, making me feel a _slight_ prick of guilt. Emphasis on the slight. "Maybe next time, alright?" He smile slowly came back before he jumped me with a hug, making me gasp at his sudden action.

"Alright, Silver! It'll be awesome, promise!" He let out a laugh as his Marill started leaping in the air, waving its arms happily.

"Ethan! What did we talk about?! Don't touch me!" He simply laughed louder and released me from his grasp. I glared at him as I continued out the door. "See ya'. I'm out of here, Pretty Boy. Have fun doing..._whatever_ you do here." With that, I left the house and jogged down the steps, eager to leave the boy before he dragged me into something stupid.

I stuck my hands in my pockets as I slowly walked back to Kotone's place, my right hand suddenly brushing against something in my pocket. Curious, I pulled out the object only for my face to burst into a bright red. It was the photo of _Kotone_ posing as a Gardevoir. _CRAP! I never got rid of this thing! Why did I shove this in my pocket in the first place?!_ I quickly put the...suggestive photograph back into my pocket and looked up to find myself standing on her porch.

"Hoothoot!" I jumped at the sound and turned to see a Hoothoot perched on the railing to my right, cocking its head at me curiously. "Hoo?"

I hissed and shooed it as it just sat there like an idiot, not even so much as blinking at me. "Stupid bird! Go! Shoo!" It ruffled its feathers for a moment before it turned to prune itself. I sighed and waved at it dismissively, annoyed but not really _bothered_ by the Owl Pokémon. "Fine then, stay there for all I care. Stupid bird." It shot me a surprisingly nasty glare before hopping further down the railing, distancing itself from me. With my right eye twitching in confusion, I gave the door a quick knock. Once again, the door swung open nearly the second after I had knocked. This time however, I was prepared. I quickly sidestepped out the the door's path, leaving me standing face to face with Kotone's Ursaring of a mother.

"Oh! You're back already?" I gave her a shrug before she turned her attention to the Hoothoot. "Oh, I see you've met Evan." I turned around, searching for even the slightest sign of human life besides us. She let out a laugh before pointing at the Hoothoot. "His name is Evan, dear. My little Koto met him when she became lost in the forest when she was just a little darling." I raised an eyebrow at the bird, surprised that the creature actually _lived_ here. "She was crying, lost and afraid when this little dear swooped down from a tree and comforted her." She slowly walked past me and gave the bird a pet on the head, making it coo with pleasure. "He then led her back home to me, safe and sound. He's stuck around ever since." The Owl Pokémon nodded at me as I slowly relaxed. "She named him Evan since she felt a connection with the creature. He's still a wild Pokémon, don't get me wrong, but he seems to enjoy coming back here every once in a while."

"Well..." I let out a humph as I stuck my hands back in my pockets for some warmth. "Looks like she's always had a way with Pokémon, then." Her mother nodded with a smile before walking back towards the inside, nudging me to follow.

"My little Koto _is_ quite good with the little dears. It's probably from playing out in the woods behind the house so much with Ethan as a toddler. Well," She gave me a final nudge, making me nearly stumble inside. "You're probably starving. Food's already out on the table and cooling, so it shouldn't be too long, now."

I turned around, giving her a small nod of confirmation. "Actually, Ma'am...I could _really_ use a bathroom right about now. Riding on a bird Pokémon really isn't the smoothest and cleanest mode of transportation." She gave me a giggle before pointing to a flight of stairs.

"Just head on up there, dear. It's the second door on the right. The attic is up the stairs at the end of the hall, just in case you have any bags to put down." I lifted my right hand and shook my head, slowly heading for the stairs.

"I don't have a bag; I just take what I can get." I turned to see her frowning at me, her face clearly showing the displeasure she felt over my careless choice of words. "I mean, I climb the trees for food and stuff; I don't bother carrying around a bunch of boxed things when there's perfectly good food sitting around." Her frown faded and was replaced with a small smile. Sighing with the relief of defusing an undoubtedly violent bomb, I headed up the wooden stairs.

I was just turning the doorknob of the first door on my right when I heard a creak behind me. Startled, I turned towards the back of the hall to find Kotone sleepily walking out of a room, rubbing her eyes as she pulled the door shut with her foot. She had finally changed out of the costume, although she was now wearing her _sleepwear_ instead. Her chocolate-brown hair was still damp, curling around and above her shoulders in clumsy waves. I simply nodded at her as she stopped next to me, letting out a yawn. _Idiot. You _really_ shouldn't wear those around other people, you twit._ I tried to ignore the warmth in my cheeks caused by the awkward tension of seeing her in something other than her usual overalls.

"Hey, Silver." Her hands slowly fell to her sides as she cocked her head, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion—although, maybe a little _too_ heavy. "What are you doing up here?"

I rolled my eyes at her obvious question. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm _trying _to use your bathroom before your mother ends up having a puddle on her hands!" I quickly tugged the door open, raising an eyebrow as she covered her mouth with her left hand. Suddenly, a landslide of towel slammed into me, burying me under the fresh scent of Oran blossoms. I let out a few muffled curses as I tried to find my way to the surface while Kotone burst into a laughing fit.

"You know," She could barely talk over her roaring laughter. "You _really_ should try to listen to directions better! You can be so _dense_ sometimes, Silver!" I growled at her, my red hair now a static mess that stood up at all angles similar to if I had been electrocuted by her Ampharos—which _has_ happened before.

"Tch! Don't act so high and mighty, Kotone!" I gave her a sharp glare as her eyes narrowed in pleasure at seeing me buried alive under six feet of assorted Pokémon stitched onto the towels. "You've done a _lot_ of stupid things in your life! Might I mention the time you were spying on me in the Dragon's Den and nearly fell into the lake when I saw you?" I smirked as I saw her waving her arms in frantic circles as she tried to regain her balance, just a small blow of air away from being pushed over. _You looked so cute with that scared look on your face, your arms waving around like an Anpharos trying to generate electricity!_

Her smile fell, her laughter suddenly chopped off as she raised an eyebrow at me, her eyes darting to the downstairs before she pushed her hair behind her ears in nervous habit and then rested her hands behind her head, something she commonly did when she was anxious. "Yeah. Then _you_ had the nerve to shove me in!" She suddenly stomped off, marching down the stairs and out of my sight.

I finally stood up among the pile and stared bewildered at the way she left. "You idiot." I sighed and started trying to pick up the many towels, picking up one with a Totodile and a Cyndaquil holding paws first. "Like I would let you fall in and catch pneumonia!" _You _know_ I grabbed your arm and pulled you back up! You practically fell on top of me, idiot!_ I shook my head as I reached for a Totodile towel, the Big Jaw Pokémon nibbling on a Payapa berry.

She really _was_ off. Kotone would _always_ remember things that happened less than a month ago.

* * *

**Author's Note: And yet another long chapter! This is a bit of a slow down, I'll admit...but it's necessary. It's the return of Ursaring Mother Soul! It seems Silver has a _long_ night ahead of him...  
**

**Don't forget, I love to hear from you guys! Don't be shy to speak up in the review section!**


	12. Chapter Nine: The Night Watch

***~~*Chapter 9: The Night Watch: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I watched with slight interest as Kotone picked at her salad, her hearty stew already in her stomach. Her left cheek was puffed out as she purposefully separated the pink Payapa berries from the leafy greens. _Since when have you hated a salad?!_ I stirred the meager remains of my own stew as her mother frowned at her.

"Koto dear, I thought you liked Payapa berries." Pinkish-hazel eyes grew wide as she violently shook her head.

"No way! Those berries are _nasty_! I'd much rather just have seconds of the stew!" Her mother and I both frowned deeply at her rude behavior. Our dinner had mostly been eaten in silence, excluding the rude remarks from the oddly behaving girl. Our Pokémon had also eaten relatively quietly, both of the teams sticking to their own teammates as they munched on special Pokéfood that looked like actual food rather than the brown pellets such as my team usually ate.

Her mother sighed as she picked out the rest of the pink chunks and fed them to the eagerly waiting Ralts, who ate them and immediately acted dizzy. My eyes grew wide as Kotone's Togetic Joy grabbed the hatchling and held it gently as her starter waddled over, worried and frantically roaring at the mother for feeding the infant Pokémon something off-diet. June the Ampharos came over, shushing the Typhlosion before taking the Feeling Pokémon in her paws and rocking it gently, soothing the bewildered Pokémon.

Kotone and her mother were oblivious to the scene and as I turned my attention back to the table only to find them staring—or in Kotone's case, glaring—at me. "Silver?" Her mother cocked her head at me. "Is something wrong?"

I huffed as I pointed to the still-dizzy Pokémon in June's arms. "Yeah. Ralts doesn't seem to like those Payapa berries too much. He's acting like he's sick." Her green eyes widened as she turned towards the commotion, Kotone motioning across her throat at me frantically. I just raised an eyebrow at her as her mother gasped.

"Oh, dear me! How could I be so foolish?!" She quickly exited her chair and took the still nauseous Ralts from the motherly June. Kotone waved her hands at her mother as if she was begging her not to say anything else. _What's your problem, Kotone?_ "Of course Ralts is acting sick! I can't believe I fed him a Payapa berry!"

"What's wrong with a Payapa berry?" Kotone turned to me with a look of utter fury, her eyes just hateful slits on her face. "I liked it and Kotone _used_ to like them pretty well. I remember she would always snack on one when she came to visit me..." Kotone started to growl at me, making me look at her with a confused face.

"Well, a Payapa berry really has no effect on you or me. As for Pokémon, it lowers the power and abilities of a Psychic Type attack or Pokémon." My eyes grew wide as Kotone acted as if she was about to strangle her mother. "So for Ralts, it was like feeding him poison! Poor little dear!" Kotone suddenly pushed out from the table and stood up, brushing herself off with a grunt. Her mother turned around, startled by the loud sound of wooden legs scraping across the highly polished floors.

"Well, I'm bushed!" Kotone faked a yawn before stretching over her head, exposing her stomach for a few seconds. I found myself staring at the exposed skin, unable to look away before it was quickly hidden once again. "I'm gonna hit the hay!" Her mother raised an eyebrow before nodding at her daughter.

"Alright Koto. I'll see you in the morning, dear~!" Kotone nodded a tad too eagerly before trying to zip past her mother. The woman grabbed the fleeing girl by the arm and clicked her tongue. "Kotone Soul!" I found myself cringing at the sudden use of _two_ names instead of the usual first. I may not have had a mother like Kotone's, but when my father had used my full name a few times...those conversations never ended well. "And just where do you think you're going?!"

Kotone looked at her mother with a look of utter hatred, the mere glare alone making a shiver run down my spine. "Um, I _going_ to bed!" _Since when have _you_ been the terrifying one?!_

Her mother clicked her tongue once again, shaking her head at her daughter's rude tone. "Not without a goodnight kiss, young lady!" Her mother gave her a quick peck on the cheek, the action creating a look of disgust flash across her face. "My you're cold, dear! Now, you know how this works. We've had the same bedtime routine since you were just a toddler!" She then pointed to her own cheek, making both Kotone and I raise an eyebrow. Her mother waited before letting out a sigh. "You have to give me a kiss too, little stinker! Honestly, you're acting so off tonight."

Kotone stuck out her tongue before giving the woman a light peck on the cheek, rubbing her mouth frantically after doing so. She turned to dash away when her mother tugged on her arm gently. "Excuse me! Don't you have something for our _guest_ as well, Koto?" My face burned fiercely as her mother suddenly dragged me into this.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa!" I waved my hands in front of me as her mother simply smiled at my behavior, Kotone's eyes growing wide before becoming daggers at my face. "What are you talking about?!" _Is she trying to make Kotone kiss _me_ goodnight?! You've gotta be kidding me! _My mind kept on racing, bewildered by her mother's words. _...Do the guests get kisses on the cheek too or do they get one on the forehead? I'm ruling out the nose but Kotone's family seems a tad odd, so maybe that might be still on the table... Wait, what am I thinking?! Why would I want a kiss from her, anyway?!_ I shook my head furiously, trying to rid myself of these strange thoughts before they poisoned my mind permanently. My feeding Gengar suddenly let out a few laughs behind me—no doubt he had been listening to my thoughts.

Kotone quickly snapped her attention to her mother and acted as if she was going to be sick. "You can't expect me to kiss _him_! That's just gross!" I suddenly felt offended at her words, making me grunt in slight anger.

Her mother let out a laugh before shaking her head. "Of course not! I meant for you to tell him goodnight and to thank him for rescuing you from that _nasty_ Team Rocket's clutches!"

Kotone stuck out her tongue angrily at me when her mother wasn't looking before spitting out a goodnight and storming off in a hurry. Her mother sighed and shook her head. "I'm so sorry, she's usually much sweeter than this." I nodded in agreement as she went on, "It must have been horrifying for her, being kidnapped like that. It must have rattled her quite a bit." I simply nodded as I gulped down the last of my food; I didn't have the heart to tell her about the hypnosis her beloved daughter had received at the Rocket Headquarters in Viridian City.

"Thank you for the food." I grabbed my bowls and headed for the sink, actually making an effort to be kind to her. "I'll take care of my dishes. I can grab my team's bowls as well if you'd like." I turned to see her laughing, shaking her head at me as I tried to turn on the faucet.

"Oh no, I'll be fine! I'm sure you must be exhausted, Silver! Why don't you just leave the dishes to me and go get some rest. I can handle this. Besides," She suddenly unclipped a Pokéball from her apron, releasing a Chansey—much to my surprise. "I can always ask Luck here for some help!" She smiled at the Egg Pokémon, who gave me a beaming grin of her own.

"Chansey!" The Pokémon gave a salute and suddenly snatched my dishes from my hands, turned on the faucet and set to work. I stood there for a moment, completely off guard that Kotone's mother actually had a Pokémon of her own.

"You...have a Chansey?" I slowly walked back to my team, Weavile rolling his eyes at my foolishness.

"Of course I do!" Kotone's mother laughed at my question, her smile growing wider. "I caught Luck as a young girl, just around when I was ten at back in Kanto. Luck's always ready to help me take care of Kotone when she's sick or just to help with some things around the house." Luck nodded and went back to work washing the dishes.

"Oh. I didn't realize you were a trainer at one point." She shook her head as I absently petted my Pokémon on the head, making them release purrs and rumbles of pleasure.

"Oh, I wasn't!" She picked up Kotone's dishes, scraping the leftovers into a small container and popping it in the fridge. "I used to live in Kanto for a while as a little girl. There was a Tauros stampede once when I was playing in the yard and I was caught up in it. Naturally, I was tossed about and received quite a few injuries. I blacked out after a while and found myself alone in a patch of woods." I winced at the thought of Kotone being attacked by wild Tauros, making me shake my head to clear out the screams.

She slowly picked up the bowls left by Kotone's Pokémon, which had left relatively close to their trainer, stacking the empty dishes in her right arm. "When I stopped crying for a while, a wild Chansey came out of the undergrowth and offered me her egg. I eagerly ate the food while she cleaned up a gash on my arm. After a few days, the Chansey lead me back into town where I was found by my parents. The Egg Pokémon came to live with me and so I named her Luck, for without her, I probably wouldn't be here today." She carried the dishes to Luck and started cleaning them as well, smiling at the pink Pokémon.

"Wow." I stopped petting Gengar's head and slowly lowered my hand towards my awaiting Magnezone. "That's pretty amazing—OWCH!" I pulled my hand away and frowned at the Magnet Area Pokémon who had unwillingly shocked me yet again as I had petted his head a little _too_ roughly.

Kotone's mother spun around nearly the second after the scream of pain had left my mouth, a worried expression on her face. "Are you alright, dear?" I gave her a nod and tried to hold back a yawn. We both jumped as the clock struck midnight. "You should really get some sleep; Kotone's quite the early riser, so breakfast will be pretty early." I nodded and slowly headed towards the stairs, my shoulders drooping with exhaustion and my knees screaming at me for climbing up another flight of stairs. "Goodnight, Silver."

"Uh huh. 'Night." I slowly climbed the stairs, Feraligator right behind me and my Growlithe bringing up the rear. I sighed as I dragged my feet across the floor, not looking forward to climbing the last flight of stairs. I had just stepped onto the first step when Weavile let out a laugh behind me. I turned and glared at him to find my team peeking into the last door on the right. "What are you idiots doing? The attic's this way."

Weavile smirked at me and pointed inside the room. "Yeah, but Kotone's bedroom is in here~!" My cheeks felt warm as I sighed and walked over towards them, glaring at them.

"Stop peeping on her and let's go. I'm tired, in case you haven't noticed." Honchcrow laughed while Feraligatr lumbered into the attic, eager to rest as much as I was.

"Admit it~! You want to see what her room looks like~!" I growled at him as my face grew warmer. I quickly shoved them out of the way so I could close the door.

"I do _not _want to see how..." My voice faded as I could just make out Kotone's figure curled up sweetly in her bed, creating a little lump in the flowery blankets. Curiosity got the better of me as I slowly tiptoed into the room, making Honchcrow laugh at me once again. I tripped over a beanbag chair, making me let out a small grunt as I found myself on the floor. My eyes narrowed to try to locate her Typhlosion only to find not a single Pokémon was out of their balls, leaving her completely alone in the room. _That's odd... She always lets her Pokémon out at night._ I lifted myself up and slowly made my way to her bedside, squinting to see her face in the darkness. After a while, I found her face resting against her pillow, a serene look upon it as she nuzzled a small Totodile plushie in her sleep. I felt a small smile grow across my face as I reached out my right arm to brush a stray lock of hair out of her mouth, tucking it behind her ear.

"...Goodnight, Kotone..." I slowly turned back towards the way I came, walking quieter than the day I had stolen my Totodile a little more than a year ago. I slowly shut the door behind me, my smile fading as I found my Pokemon—even Feraligatr who had apparently came back down once he found himself alone—crowding around the door, breathlessly smiling at me.

"What are you all looking at?" I folded my arms at them, unhappy that my whole team had been spying on me.

Finally, Feraligatr smiled at me even wider, his sharp teeth exposed in their gleaming rows. "We just wanted to watch you, that's all. You seemed to be so nice to her when she was sleeping, although if you want to be allowed in her nest you'll have to ask her." My face burst into an all-consuming red as I shook my head furiously.

"I don't want to sleep next to her, alright?! Now, get in the attic before I make you all sleep in your Pokéballs tonight!" I shooed them with both of my hands, herding them to the staircase as I tried to remove the image of lying next to Kotone from my head.

My team ultimately listened, allowing me to finally reach the attic. It was quite the large space, a large bed with a red comforter and soft-looking pillows. There was a dark oak dresser on the far wall with a vanity mirror on top, allowing me to see just how bloodshot my eyes were. I growled and turned my attention to the small, crimson sofa that my teammates were arguing over. Growlithe had found the television and was attempting to bark at it, trying to get it to turn on. I grabbed the bridge of my nose and sighed, the strange nose getting their attention fairly easily.

"Look, I've been up since two in the morning and I want to get some stinking sleep before I have to roll out of that bed at the crack of dawn! Now, stop your whining and go to sleep!" I watched with a smirk as the Pokémon quickly found a place to lay down and closed their eyes. "Finally. Someone listens to me the _first_ time!" I pulled out my Pokégear before I unzipped my jacket and flung it on the back of the couch, knowing I'd be too warm under the mountain of blankets. I sat on the bedside and kicked off my shoes, placed my Pokégear on the nightstand beside me before crawling into the bed and releasing a content sigh. _This is much softer than a Pokémon Center's cot! So happy I managed to score a room here._

All was quiet in the darkness, lulling me to sleep with ease. "Silver?" I snapped my eyes open to find Weavile crouched on my chest, staring at me sheepishly.

"What is it? I was almost asleep." I simply grumbled as the Sharp Claw Pokémon crawled under the blankets beside me.

"I wanna sleep up here too, please." I stared at him for a while as he batted his eyelashes at me. I finally just rolled over towards the small oak nightstand and sighed.

"Fine. Just give me some space, alright?" A happy purr rumbled beside me as I rubbed my cheek against the pillow, trying to get comfortable sleeping on my side.

I had just closed my eyes again when Weavile poked my back. I growled and looked over my shoulder to find him frowning at me. "What is it now, Weavile?!"

He pointed towards the nightstand, his long claws gleaming in the small streaks of moonlight that entered the lone window. "You never called that Green guy."

"Crap!" I quickly scooped up my Pokégear, dialing the number Ethan had punched into my Pokégear what seemed like eons ago. I rolled over onto my back as I waited for him to pick up, nearly squashing Weavile as I moved. It rang only once before being snatched up.

"YOU!" I quickly held the device away from my ear as an obviously enraged Green Oak gave me the what-for. "You where supposed to call me _hours_ ago! What happened to you?!"

"Look," I rubbed my right eye as it threatened to close again, making it droop even more. "I was returning the bird, explaining to Ethan what happened, buried alive under a stack of towels, trying to figure out what Kotone's up to, eating diner with Kotone and her mother and finally, I was _trying_ to sleep! In case you didn't know, I've been up for quite a long time!" I could hear Weavile groan behind me, most likely mad at my rude tone.

"Well, _excuse me_ for caring about you two!" Green's voice was loaded not only with its usual snarky attitude, but also with a dash of hurt. He let out a sigh before he went on, his voice thoughtful and calmer than what I've heard from the snotty Gym Leader so far. "Proton gave up chasing me when I hit the ocean around Cinnabar Island, I have no idea if he tried to follow you instead..." His voice trailed off as I recalled the last time I had been to Cinnabar Island, before the volcano had erupted and left it just a chunk of black asphalt. _That was before I knew who my father really was, before everything sank below the Kanto Ocean. _He suddenly snapped back as if he sat on a Donphan's tusk. "What do you mean 'trying to figure out what Kotone's up to'?!"

I sighed before retelling the strange behavior of the girl, Green grunting every now and again to prove he was listening. "...Keep a good eye on her. She's _never_ acted so rude and so..._violent_ before. What's she doing right now?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sleeping. Like I _want_ to be doing." Green simply groaned as he rummaged through what sounded like old papers and books.

"Well, I'm going to think about what happened over there. I _might_ be able to find some sort of pattern in her mood swings. As for _you_, you should go check on her one last time. I have a _bad_ feeling about her." I groaned; the last thing I wanted to do was to leave the comfort of this bed and walk back down _another_ flight of stairs, only to ultimately climb back _up_ and crawl back into bed.

"Fine! I'll check on _stupid_ Kotone! You try waking up at two in the morning and staying up for twenty-four hours!" He simply laughed like a Murkrow as I went on, "It's no picnic, Sandslash head!" His laughing ceased the instant I spat out the insult, the line growing into an eerie silence. I waited for a while before I felt a slight burst of panic when I couldn't even hear him _breathing_. "Green?! You still there?"

"What? Oh, yeah...I'm here..." His voice sounded distant as he spoke, I could hear a very faint crinkling noise on his end, similar to the sound of a small piece of paper. "I'm sorry, you just reminded me of someone for a moment there."

I raised an eyebrow, not really noticing the small snoring from Weavile and the fact that he was holding my left arm in his grasp as he slept. _Odd. I wonder what made him zone out on me?_ "Well, I better go check on her." I slowly sat up and maneuvered myself to sitting on the edge of the bed, dragging the still sleeping Pokémon with me. I growled as I ripped my arm from his grasp; he just stayed asleep in a jumbled heap, oblivious to the fact I was getting up. _He's been up just as long as I have... If he didn't nap inside of his Pokéball or something._

"Good idea." I heard the crinkling again and the sound of a zipper before he cleared his throat. "Well, I'll let you go for now; I have a few things left to do before hitting the sack myself. You call me in the morning, alright?"

"Alright, see ya' later." I went to hang up, pulling the device away from my ear slowly.

"Smell ya' later, Grouch~!" His voice rang out loud and clear before he clicked off the line. I groaned as I did the same.

I lazily tossed the device on the nightstand, the Pokégear barely landing on the edge of the table. I slowly pushed myself off of the bed and trudged to the door. I had just barely opened the door when I heard heavy footsteps behind me. I turned to make out Feraligatr in the low light, his teeth and eyes shining in the pale streaks of light, making him seem far more ferocious than he truly was.

"Silver?" My name came out as I yawn, allowing his many sharp teeth the chance to bask in the moonlight. "Where are you going?"

I patted him on the head, making him smile at me. "I'm just going to check on Kotone. I'll be right back."

I could see him cock his head. "You worried about her?"

I slowly shook my head. "I'm just checking on her for Green. I'd _much_ rather be sleeping right now."

He righted his head and smiled wider at me. "You don't have to make excuses, you can admit to being worried about her. It just means you care, that's all."

I opened my mouth to yell but ended up closing it with a heavy sigh. "Look, I'm too tired to argue with you right now over stupid stuff like this. Just go back to sleep, I'm going to check on her." I gave him a short nod before turning out the door, groping the way ahead of me in the darkness. It took a while, but I finally located Kotone's bedroom door. I slowly turned the knob, my eyes still heavy with the prospect of soon sleeping.

"Kotone?!" My eyes were wide awake as I raced into the room, moonlight pouring in from an open window, her curtains flapping madly about. I searched her room; she wasn't here, neither was her belt which I had returned to her mother before eating dinner. Her red pajamas lay on the floor, an empty hanger tossed against a wall. I turned my attention to her bed and found a small note beside her Totodile doll. Expecting it to be a ransom note from Proton or perhaps even one to brag about taking her twice, I found the scrawl to be an all-too familiar female hand.

_'Nice try, traitor. It takes more than an overprotective mother and a stupid boy like _you_ to hold the Queen of Team Rocket captive!_

_See ya' never, Queen Kotone'_

Kotone had left of her own accord...and I had let her slip out from under my very nose.

* * *

**Author's Note: DUN DUN DAAAA! And the drama continues! Lots of stuff happened in here, didn't it? There was even some fluff for you guys~  
**

**And headcanon notice: Red would call Green "Sandslash Head" when he got upset with his best friend/rival, I mean the hair is just like one! Oh and the crinkling of paper...another headcanon that Green keeps a picture of Leaf, Red and himself on him at all times and will commonly pull it out of one of his many pockets to look at it.**


	13. Chapter Nine Extra: The Perfect Getaway

***~~*Chapter 9 Extra: The Perfect Getaway: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I raced back up the stairs, eager to get away from the two weaklings who I had to associate with. I dashed inside of 'my' room and slammed the door behind me, letting out a sigh of relief. _Finally, I'm alone! I don't know how much longer I can be away from my beloved Rockets; they're probably frantic without me!_ I growled and wiped my mouth on my arm repeatedly, I was absolutely sickened by the fact that the insane woman had made the Queen of Team Rocket _kiss_ her.

_At least she didn't make me kiss _him_._ I shuddered as I thought of having to press my lips on his cold cheek instead. _The _Queen_ of Team Rocket having to kiss a _traitor_?! Not just _any_ traitor, the son of Giovanni himself!_ I felt my stomach swirl as I gagged. _I would _never_ kiss him, never!_

I jolted as a sudden knock resonated behind me. Turning around, I opened the door with a fake smile, expecting to see that woman or even Silver. I felt a bolt of shock to find the Typhlosion with the rest of his little gang on his tail. My faked grin fell as I glared at the Volcano Pokémon.

"Tyty, phlo sion phl lo!" He seemed to be trying to communicate with me, reaching out his arms towards me. I growled and backed away from him.

"Back off, pest. I'm trying to think of something here." His eyes widened as an Ampharos nudged him aside and waved her arms.

"Amp! Amph amph ros!" I rolled my eyes; these Pokémon may look strong, but they were far too spirited for their own good.

"Will you be quiet?! Honestly, all you Pokémon do is say the same things over and over! It drives a woman mad, you know!" The two taller Pokémon exchanged glances before they entered the room, one by one. A Slowking brought up the rear, following an Eevee who jumped around endlessly. I shut the door behind them until it was only a open a small crack and tried to find the belt of Pokéballs the woman had given me before I had sat down to that poor excuse for a meal.

I suddenly felt a jab in my heel, making me glare down at the floor. The strange Ralts was poking my leg, trying to get my attention. I simply waited for it to grab my pantleg before tossing it across the room with a well-aimed kick. "Back off! Leave me alone, you twits!" As I was searching the white nightstand's drawer, I suddenly felt my hand brush against something and made my fingers clamp around the thin object. I pulled it out and smirked as I found the white belt I had been looking for. "Ah! Here they are!" I turned around to find the Pokémon circled around the small Ralts, the Eevee barking furiously in my direction.

"Alright, you pests! Get in here right now!" I pulled off the first ball that had a small flame sticker on it and aimed at the lone Fire Type. The red beam surrounded him as the Pokémon jumped with shock, startled by the sudden recall. I clipped it back on and pulled off the next one that had a small raindrop on it. "This will take only a moment."

After recalling the stubborn Ralts last, I pulled up my shirt slightly, just enough to reveal the black belt that was clipped below my sadly smaller than I wished bra. I crossed the two belts, creating a black and white 'x' out of the two belts. I smiled as I dropped my shirt's edge and turned towards the closet. "Now to change out of these clothes—!"

I was caught off guard by the sound of footsteps slowly approaching my door. Panicking, I flicked off the lights and raced towards a shelf of dolls. Assuming that the girl slept with them, I grabbed the blue Totodile and dashed into bed, pulling the covers over me and trying to slow my throbbing heart to a normal level.

"I do _not _want to see how..." I heard the angry yell drop off and instantly recognized Silver's deeper voice. _Oh great, you again._ I tried to keep my eyes shut as I heard the door creak open slightly, followed by the slight sounds of walking. I suddenly heard a muffled grunt and a thump, making me open my right eye out of curiosity. There was the redhead, face to the floor as he obviously tripped over the Munchlax beanbag. I desperately tried to withhold my laughter as he pushed himself off the hardwood panels, snapping my eyes shut as he slowly lifted his head towards my direction. He let out a tiny sigh before standing up, the floorboards creaking softly as he continued walking. _What is he doing in here?! What in the world could_ he_ want?_

I tried to make my face look as if I was sleeping, thinking happy thoughts of returning to my awaiting grunts back at my headquarters in Viridian City. A small smile grew across my face as I thought of the grunts cheering out my name and Silver the traitor tied up like a Tauros about to become a burger, begging for mercy as I _personally_ threw him in the newly refurbished dungeon. _Soon, very soon, Queen Kotone. Then you'll have your revenge._

I heard a small chuckle and felt a soft finger brush against my cheek, gently pulling a strand of hair out of my mouth and leaving a spitty trail across its path. _Don't touch me, traitor. Stop giving me your weakness cooties!_ I could still feel a tingling sensation where he had touched my cheek as he let out a small sigh. "...Goodnight, Kotone..." I then heard the floor creak again, his footsteps growing softer as they left the room. The door creaked again before quietly shutting. I cautiously opened my eyes to find him gone, although I could see the shadow of his feet under the door.

All was silent for a moment before Silver's voice leaked under the door. "What are you all looking at?" There was a pause before a few heavy footsteps shook the door slightly.

"Ferali. Gatr gatr ali fer." His Feraligatr was obviously trying to talk to him, its booming voice not very hard to miss.

Silver let out a splutter before snapping at the Pokémon. "I don't want to sleep next to her, alright?! Now, get in the attic before I make you all sleep in your Pokéballs tonight!" _Whoa, wait what!? Where did he get that from the Pokémon just saying its _name_, again?!_ The sound of marching feet and scrambling footsteps echoed into the room for a moment before things gradually grew silent. I slowly sat up, tossing the Totodile doll aside as I smirked. _Now,_ I flung off the covers and leaped out of the bed, heading straight to the closet. _Where was I?_

I pulled the door open and grabbed the white sundress, the only object in the whole wardrobe that could pass for something a mature lady would wear. I quickly flung the pajamas aside, unclipped both belts and pulled the gown over my head. With a satisfied smirk, I clipped the belts over my waist in the same crossing pattern, tossed the now useless plastic hanger at the wall and headed towards the bathroom. _Luckily I kept the Gardevoir costume._ I scooped up the white flats and tights, tugging the white tights on before happily placing the flats on my feet. I hurried over to the window and after a valiant struggle—and quite a bit of grunting—I had the window fully open, allowing the crisp, late summer night air billow past me, the faint scent of cherry blossoms on the winds.

I was about to climb out past the fluttering pink curtains when I suddenly had an idea. I pulled open the drawer of the nightstand, pulled out a pencil and paper, slammed it shut and started to write a small note, bursting into a quiet but devilish laughter. I carefully placed it on the bed beside the Totodile plush and popped the pencil back in the drawer.

_Now I can leave and kiss this captivity goodbye!_ I slowly walked over to the window and peered down at the ground below. The height was enough that would probably end up spraining or breaking something if I just jumped, but my eyes suddenly latched onto a white trellis climbing up just below my window. I smirked as I turned around, putting my feet out first and finding a strong foothold. I shook my left leg around to test the stability and found to my pleasure that it didn't even so much as move an _inch_. _Hello, freedom!_

I slowly made it out of the window and out of obvious line of sight when I hear footsteps approaching. I quickly press myself to the wall as the creaking of the door meets my ears.

"Kotone?!" Silver's voice comes out in a frantic shriek, followed by rushing footsteps growing closer to the window. _No, you idiot! Don't look outside!_ I heard the scrunching of paper as he undoubtedly found my note.

I was now stuck, a good five feet from the ground. Sure, the fall wouldn't kill me, but I have a _pretty_ good chance of injuring myself. _It's either suck it up and jump or risk getting captured by the traitor._ I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. _I've only got one choice._

And with that, I let go of the trellis and felt myself plummet to the ground.

* * *

**Author's Note: And here's the next chapter~! (I really hope the mention of her bra was O.K... "orz)  
**

**It seems Kotone's getaway wasn't as finished as we thought in the last chapter now, was it? I've also translated the two lines her Pokemon say to her for you...**

**Blitz: "Koto, why are you acting like this?!"**

**June: "Tone! Please, snap out of it!"**


	14. Chapter Ten: A Midnight Chase

***~~*Chapter 10: A Midnight Chase: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

_How could I let this happen?!_ My hands shook as I stared blankly at the note Kotone had left for me, my heart racing as I struggled for breath. _I'm such a fool! You left her all alone only so you could _sleep_ for a few measly hours! You're such a pathetic weakling!_ I smashed the note into a ball and chucked it at the wall, frustrated and furious with myself.

I suddenly heard a light thump coming from outside. I dashed to the window, scanning the surroundings for any signs of her.

_THERE! ON THE GRASS!_ I saw a small form crumpled against the ground laying motionless on its side. My heart beat out of my ribcage as I whistled, trying to get my Pokémon to race down to my side. I heard frantic feet above my head as I mentally begged them to hurry. The figure slowly lifted itself off the ground, propping itself up with shaking arms. It panted for a while, trying to catch its breath; Kotone's face was clearly visible in the full moon's light.

"Master Silver!" I looked out of the corner of my eye to see Magnezone holding my jacket with one arm and my belt with the other. "We came as fast as we could, sir!"

"What's going on?! Why's her room so messy?!" Weavile busted in behind him, carrying my Pokégear as to not get any magnetic interference from the Magnet Area Pokémon. I grabbed my jacket and pulled it on, thrusting my arms into the sleeves. I then clipped on my belt and took my Pokégear, shoving the device into my pocket.

"Kotone's trying to escape!" I looked up to see my whole team standing before me, their faces horrified. "Get in your Pokéballs so I can stop her!" They nodded as they were engulfed with vibrant red light. I quickly turned my attention to Kotone and found her still panting. _I don't have much time; this is my chance!_

I quickly discovered the trellis under the window and started to climb down after her, certain that I could catch her before she caught her breath. She suddenly looked up at me, her eyes wide with shock. Without a second's hesitation, she leaped to her feet and dashed off towards the woods surrounding the small town. _Oh no you don't!_ I jumped down the short distance between me and the grass and bolted after her, trying to keep her in my sights.

She swerved around trees as she ran, trying to confuse me in the dim light that beamed through gaps in the leaves. "Kotone!" I called out to her, despite the fact that she was probably still acting like a psychopath. "Kotone, stop!" I ducked under a low branch and tried not to trip over any roots.

My eyes widened as I found the trees growing fewer as she bolted for a small clearing. I felt my sides burn as I ran even faster, silently begging myself to keep going. _I have to catch her, I can't let her run off!_ I found myself gaining ground fast, Kotone turning her head towards me with a horrified look on her face.

"Keep away from me traitor and I might just spare you!" She momentarily lost her footing on the slick grass; I took advantage of the opportunity and tackled her as she fell, grabbing her waist as we hit the ground.

"Let me _go_!" She wriggled in my grasp as I tried to keep her pinned to the dew-coated grass, her eyes gleaming in the moonlight. I could just make out two belts around her waist, the devices clipped onto it shining brightly.

"Yeah right!" I moved my head aside as she tried to slap my face. "Like I'm going to just stand here and let you leave!"

She snarled as she tried to turn over onto her stomach. I only gripped tighter as she snarled and grunted. "You better, traitor! I have an organization to run!"

Her words took me off-guard for a moment, the last sentence strikingly familiar to Giovanni's own words spoken to me many times over. She smirked at me as she used my distraction to squirm out of my arms. I snapped back to reality and grabbed her right ankle as she tried to kick my face. "You're not the Queen of Team Rocket, you idiot! They've just _made_ you think you are! Snap out of it!"

I quickly reached my belt and grabbed my leading Pokéball, tossing it ahead of her. A flash of crimson light burst through the clearing as my Feraligatr materialized before us. His eyes grew wide at the sight of me being dragged slightly through the grass, Kotone trying to crawl away from me.

"Uh...Is this a bad time?" His golden eyes darting from my face to hers. "I'm not so sure I should get involved with these human mating rituals..." My face grew a tad warmer as I growled at his remark.

"No, you idiot! I'm _trying_ to stop her from leaving for Team Rocket's headquarters! Now grab her!" He slowly nodded before waddling over to her, grabbing her by the arms and gripping her to his stomach as she cursed at us. Satisfied that my Pokémon had a firm grip, I released her ankle. She squirmed and kicked in his grasp but soon grew exhausted from her wasted efforts. I smirked as she began gasping for breath.

"Good job, Feraligatr. Now, let's head back to her house, shall we?" She let out a groan of frustration as my starter nodded and slowly followed me as we headed back towards New Bark Town, the winds slowly growing stronger as we approached the surely-sleeping town.

"Let. Me. Go!" She pushed against Feraligatr's yellow belly and tried to kick the Big Jaw Pokémon in the leg. She growled as she found her efforts useless. "Silver, let me go! I swear, when I get my hands on you—!"

I waved dismissively behind me, secretly enjoying the fact I caught her. "Good luck with that, Kotone. Feraligatr's _way_ stronger than a weakling like you!"

"Why you smug little jerk!" I heard her grunt before a small click came from behind me. I turned just in time to see a long red flash of light, then a blur of blue coming straight at me. Feraligatr and I both gasped before I snarled as I became constricted in the grip of a Dragonair.

"You! How did you even _have_ those?!" The Dragon Pokémon squeezed me tighter, forcing the air out of my lungs. Kotone simply laughed while Feraligatr let out a whimper.

"I hid them under my shirt, genius! Where else would I hide six strong Pokémon?" I winced under the pressure, her face beaming. "You!" She looked up at my Feraligatr, her smile wide and threating. "I'll let your trainer go if you release me! Choose wisely or else you might end up with no trainer at all!"

I growled at her as Feraligatr's eyes grew wide, his desperate gaze darting between me and the rotten girl in his grasp. "Don't listen to her, Feraligatr!" The Dragonair gave me a tighter squeeze, making me let out a groan of pain. "I'll be fine!"

"...I can't." He suddenly released her, letting her fall to the wet grass with a grunt. He looked up at my horrified face with tears in his eyes, a weak smile stretched across his lips. "I'm sorry Silver, but your safety comes before any order." I shook my head, baffled that he had disobeyed me.

"Good Pokémon." Kotone slowly walked behind my motionless starter and smirked. "Looks like it knows who's in charge around here!" She slowly lifted up her right arm and snapped her fingers. _...Just like the nightmare. She snapped just like her..._ "Dragonair! To my side!"

The Pokémon growled before quickly giving me a final squeeze, stealing the air from my lungs. It then released me, letting me fall from its grasp and slam against the hard ground. A low moan of pain escaped my lips as Feraligatr raced to my side, lifting me up gently and sniffing for wounds. The Dragonair slithered to her side and glared at us just as wickedly as Kotone.

"It was fun playing this little _game_ of yours, Silver... But I have more important things to do with my time." She pointed lazily at my face as my starter snarled at her. "Dragonair, Smokescreen attack and make it extra thick if you will." The Pokémon nodded and opened its mouth, the noxious fumes already forming inside of its jaws.

"Dragon...nair!" The Pokémon spat out the cloud but Feraligatr shielded me from the direct attack with his back, curling around me as a scaly shield. We both started to cough harshly as the sound of fleeing footsteps met my ears. I slowly reached for my belt with my right arm, a bolt of pain coursing through the limb as it moved. I gritted my teeth and unclipped my Honchkrow's Pokéball, tossing into the air.

The Big Boss Pokémon burst onto the scene and immediately set to work in getting rid of the horrible smoke. He flapped his wings furiously, not even asking what had caused it. By the time the smoke was cleared...they had vanished into the night.

Honchkrow slowly lowered himself to the ground and waddled to my side, nudging me with his beak. "Silver...are you alright?"

I ignored the question as a tear raced down my cheek. _She's gone. She's left to go back to Team Rocket and I was too weak to stop her...just like him._

Feraligatr gave me a quick lick on my face, absorbing the certainly bitter tears. "It'll be alright, Silver. We'll find her again. Please, don't cry." I sniffed in before letting out a sigh, too disappointed with myself to argue. I slowly broke away from his gentle embrace, my legs shaking as I tried to stand on my own. Honchkrow watched as I brushed off my dirt-covered jacket and looked up at the wide moon.

"...We better go tell her mother the truth, otherwise I'll have a hard time convincing her to let me search for her again." My Pokémon nodded as we then silently headed back towards her house in shame.

* * *

*~~*Kotone's Viewpoint*~~*

I ran faster than I even knew was possible, Dragonair at my heels as I swerved around trees and dashed across clearings. _Haha! That idiot treats his Pokémon too kindly; the Feraligatr fell right into my trap!_ I stopped suddenly when a painful throb hit my head, making me let out a groan. Worried that I might have been overheard, I quickly scanned my surroundings. All that was here was a small Hoothoot in the tree above me and the obedient Dragonair at my left.

Silver must have stayed behind, otherwise he would have caught me again; the boy is faster than he thinks when under pressure.

I slowly turned towards the Dragonair, a smile on my face as I stroked its smooth head. "You did well back there, Dragonair. Your grip was simply dastardly~!" The Pokémon let out a coo before giving me a quick lick on the cheek. "Now, which way to my awaiting Rockets?"

"Hoothoot!" I bolted my attention to the skies and found the Hoothoot swooping down at me, trying to peck me no doubt.

"Back off, pest!" I swatted the air as Dragonair swished its tail after the dive-bombing buffoon. "Get lost!" The creature then landed on my head, pecking my hair repeatedly as if I were a birdfeeder. "GAH! Dragonair, get it off of me!"

The Dragon Pokémon nodded as its tail began to glow a soft blue. It suddenly slammed me on my head, smacking the bird of of my head in the process. The Owl Pokémon took off, showering me with nasty feathers. I rubbed my now wet head and scowled at the Pokémon.

"Thanks a lot, Dragonair." I spat out my words as it simply scanned the area for more pesky Pokémon. My head throbbed again, the pain making my vision black on the edges. I fell to my knees in pain, screaming out of reflex.

I slammed my eyes shut and felt my head hit the ground.

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes, pain coursing through my skull. I slowly found myself in a clearing with a Dragonair, the moon illuminating the field of dewdrops in a gorgeous display of soft light. I lifted myself off of the ground into a sitting position, holding my throbbing temples as I stared at the Dragon Pokémon. _I think it's the same one from the Rocket hideout. But...where am I?_

"Where..." The Dragonair quickly turned her attention towards me as I spoke, her vibrant eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "Where are we?"

"In a clearing somewhere in between Azalea Town and Cherrygrove City, Master." The Dragonair's voice was like silk, calm and soothing to the ear.

"Alright, but how did I get here?" The Dragonair slithered a bit closer, taking a moment to lick my forehead. I simply looked down at my feet as my cheeks warmed, embarrassed that I was asking this Pokémon for direction.

"We were trying to return to your throne back at your headquarters in Viridian City, Queen Kotone. We had to make a hasty escape when your plan had been discovered by the Team Rocket traitor, Silver." I bolted to her face at the mention of my rival, my mouth falling open with shock. _Silver?! What plan?! Escape?! She's not making any sense!_

"Si-Silver? What did he have to do with this?! What do you mean by escape?!" The Pokémon cocked her head and narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"You were being held captive by him in a house in New Bark Town. You fooled them into thinking you were going to sleep for the night before slipping out the bedroom window. Silver decided to burst in just as you were climbing down the outside wall, leaving you no choice but to plummet to the ground below." I stared at the Pokémon, breathless in disbelief as she continued, "He chased you through the woods before tackling you in a clearing a ways back. He tried to make you return to the home but you obviously refused. He summoned his Feraligatr to restrain you and they slowly headed towards New Bark Town."

"Si-Silver did all that?!" I couldn't contain my absolute awe at her recounting of the recent events. Sure, Silver is my best friend and all, but I never realized he would chase me through the woods in the middle of the night to keep me from running away. _Silver..._ I slowly let a smile grow on my face at the thought of the usually-grumpy boy. _You did that...for me? And you say you don't care about me other than a rival! I knew you cared about me at least a little bit._

The Dragonair nodded before continuing, swishing her tailtip in the air. "However, you released me and I quickly constricted the boy." My smile dropped off my face as I sat there, horrified by these words. "You demanded that the Feraligatr release you for the boy's life and the oaf immediately followed your demands. I dropped the boy before making a Smokescreen, allowing us a clean getaway." She nodded as she finished, my eyes wet with tears. _I would never do such a thing! I'm not like that at all!_

I quickly rose to my feet and headed back into the woods, desperate to get back home and out of the wilderness. The Dragonair suddenly leaped ahead of me, hostility in her eyes as she blocked my way. "Queen Kotone, excuse my boldness; the path towards Viridian is the _other_ direction."

I raised a finger at her, wagging it in discipline. "First off, I'm _just_ Kotone. I'll never be _Queen Kotone_. Second, I'm fully aware of that; I'm heading back home where I belong and apologizing to Silver!" Her mouth dropped open as I looked down at my clothes and let out a groan.

Yet again I had on a _completely_ different outfit than what I had on the last time I was aware of my surroundings, this one was a white sundress with the tights and shoes of the Gardevoir costume. I had two intersecting belts strapped across my waist, one in black and my usual white one. _Why do my clothes keep changing?! I better have put this on myself! _I quickly found the Pokéball of the Dragonair on the black one and held it out towards her. "I'll be letting you rest for the walk home; I can navigate the path to Cherrygrove just fine alone." The red beam quickly engulfed the Dragonair, silencing her protests.

"Alright, now for the long walk home in the dark. My _favorite_ part." I gulped as I fumbled to put the Pokéball back in its place and tried to find Blitz's Pokéball. A Pokéball suddenly burst open on my waist, the red beam materializing into a familiar form. I gasped as the powerful build of my starter appeared before me.

"Blitz!" I quickly dove into his furry stomach, allowing his arms to close around me as we stood embracing each other.

"Koto!" He suddenly pushed me in front of him, allowing him to glare at me. "Why are you acting like this! Calling us 'pests' and 'twits' just like that Silver boy! Why would you treat us so terribly like this?!" I felt the tears returning as he roared out in pain, his eyes already wet.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't do it, I swear!" I wiped the tears with the back of my hands and narrowed my eyes at him, honestly confused as he was. "Buddy...I think something's wrong with me." His eyes softened as he gave me a lick on the forehead before slowly giving me another hug. "I think...I think Team Rocket did something to me. Things just aren't adding up right, buddy."

I heard him let out a sigh in my ear before pulling away, grabbing my hands in his paws. "We all think something's wrong too, Koto. Ralts has been rambling about there being two of you for some time now. C'mon," He started tugging on my hands, releasing my left one so he could point towards an exposed path peeking out of the trees. "Let's go home."

I smiled and took a step towards him, nodding in agreement. "Lead the way, Blitz."

* * *

**Author's Note: Man, this was an action-packed chapter, eh? It's also kinda depressing, but that's nothing compared to next chapter...  
**

**I want to thank you all for supporting my work! I love hearing from you guys and seeing what you think about my series! Please don't hesitate to drop a review, I try to respond to everyone's reviews!**


	15. Chapter Eleven: The Last Thing We Need

***~~*Chapter 11: The Last Thing We Need: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I lowered my head as Kotone's mother sobbed in her armchair, utterly shattered by my confession of the true events that unfolded in Team Rocket's headquarters. Her Chansey Luck was still out and desperately trying to soothe the woman as she hid her face from me. Feraligatr and Honchkrow stood behind me, unable to figure out how to help the situation.

"Look, Ma'am...I'm sorry. I-I didn't know how to tell you earlier." She let out a wail as I gulped, feeling more guilty than I ever had in my whole life. "...I'm sorry."

She waved a hand at me angrily, burying her face deeper into the fabric as she curled into a ball and just cried. I turned to Feraligatr and let out a sigh. "What am I supposed to do? She won't stop crying!" My starter narrowed his eyes and growled.

"She's heartbroken. She told you herself how much Kotone means to her and now that girl is gone! She's utterly distraught; there's a reason why there's an expression 'Like an Ursaring who's lost her cubs'!" I frowned and quickly glanced at the woman out of the corner of my eye. Luck was patting her back, cooing and nuzzling the woman who just continued to flood the chair.

"I always thought it meant she was mad." Honchkrow shook his head and started to prune himself anxiously.

"It means she has no idea how she can go on, no idea what to do to bring her only loved ones back into her arms." I felt another stab of guilt as the Pokémon talked through his feathers, wishing I could somehow make Kotone's mother stop crying. "Mothers typically love their offspring, even us Pokémon care about our families." _...Did my mother love me like this? Would she be the one crying if Kotone and I were reversed?_ I felt more tears threaten my eyes, making me shake my head to rid myself of these thoughts.

"...Ms. Soul?" I looked back towards the still crying woman as I slowly backed away, running my right hand through my hair nervously. "I-I'll go look for her again! I-I swear I'll find her! We'll have her back to normal soon, I can feel it!" I tried to plead with her, but she simply waved me off again.

I was now past my two Pokémon; I motioned for them to follow me. "C'mon... We're more useful out there, looking for Kotone." They gave me a solemn nod as they slowly padded after me, their heads bowed to the floor. I slowly opened the front door and we slipped out into the chilled night air once again.

When we were some distance from the house, I unclipped the rest of my Pokémon and threw their capsules into the air. Weavile, Magnezone, Growlithe and Gengar landed in front of me, their faces worried.

"Look." I scratched the back of my neck as they stared at me, listening intently to my every sound. "We're going to split up and find her, alright? I-I know that you probably want to sleep now but this is important and—!"

Weavile cleared his throat, making me stare at him in silence. He slowly gave me a small smile and nodded. "We all want to find her, Silver. We care about her too."

Growlithe nodded and flicked his right ear. "I'll sniff her out and howl when I find her! Miss Kotone won't be lost for long, Silver! I promise!"

Gengar gave a beaming grin before floating in the air. "We all promise! We'll spread out and find her before morning, I can sense it!"

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands again, trying to keep myself from crying. "You guys...Thank you." I looked up at them with a small smile as Feraligatr waddled in front of the group, pointing towards the way I had first chased her.

"Kotone ran off in that direction, you all are aware of the clearing, right?" His teammates nodded with determination, their gazes focusing hard on the trees. "We'll split up; Honchkrow and Gengar, you two cover the air. Honchkrow should be our aireal surveillance while Gengar floats in the treetops." The two Pokémon nodded before looking up at the skies, planing their routes.

"Magnezone," The Magnet Area Pokémon sharpened his gaze, ready to follow his orders. "You should keep an eye on all of us in the skies. You make a red signal for trouble and a blue one for Kotone. Flash the color the same amount of times as the Pokemon's line-up number. For Silver," He quickly turned to me and gave me a smile. "You should flash both colors. Don't forget the sirens where your flashing; we can't hear lights."

Magnezone gave a salute and flashed his red and blue lights. "Yes sir. I will follow your commands to the best of my abilities."

Feraligatr then pointed to the remaining two Pokémon. "Weavile, you're a fast runner so you can be the scout. Dash around for any signs of her, got it?"

Weavile slashed the air in his excitement. "I'll run faster than I've ever run before! Kotone won't know I'm there until _bam_! I'll be on top of her and taking her straight here!"

I rolled my eyes at his enthusiasm, still smiling from the fact that my Pokémon were so ready to help out.

"Growlithe, you should find the scent trail and track her. It might be more difficult than daylight hunting due to the dewdrops, but I'm sure you can handle it." The Puppy Pokémon beamed as he gave a sniff to the air.

"I'll sniff like I've never sniffed before!"

Feraligatr pointed to himself and then towards the path Kotone had used the first time. "I'll backtrack the path she took and chase her there. I'll be sure to at least find out which way she went after the Smokescreen." He then looked towards me, staring expectantly at my face. "Silver, is my plan good enough?"

I jolted to attention and nodded, looking my team over with pride. "Yes, the plan is perfect, Feraligatr." He beamed at my praise as I pointed towards the path to Cherrygrove. "I head that way and then branch off around Cherrygrove's outskirts. Make sure you guys listen for the signals, got it?"

"Got it!" My team gave me a salute, all of them more than ready to track down the runaway Kotone. _Good. I can't lose you guys out here; I don't know what I'd do without you guys._

Gengar suddenly laughed and winked at me. "We don't know what we'd do without _you_, Silver!" My face burned as I realized he had listened to my thoughts. He turned to the others before I could properly scold him. "Alright, let's move out!"

My Pokémon dashed off into the trees while my flying Pokémon took eagerly to the skies, leaving me standing alone in New Bark's bitter winds.

I slowly started for the path to Cherrygrove City, gradually picking up speed until I was at a full sprint. _We'll find her. We _have_ to find her. There's no way I'm letting my Kotone turn into my father. She's not going to become the leader of those weak, disgusting lowlives!_ I found myself smirking at the thought of finding her as I jumped over sleeping Rattatas and uninterested Hoothoots.

_Not if _I _have anything to say about it._

* * *

I bent over, my hands on my thighs as I fought to refill my lungs. I had made it to the outskirts of Cherrygrove City in record time, managing to get here without enraging any wild Pokémon. I looked up at the skies; Magnezone was flashing the white light for us, signalling that everyone was fine and still searching. I slowly stood up and looked towards the path to Azalea Town. _Time to keep moving._

I eased back into a run as I headed down the path, my eyes searching on either side of me for the slightest movements. I had been running for probably around ten minutes when a rustle in the bushes made me freeze in my tracks.

I turned sharply towards the noise, glaring at the rustling foliage. A sudden flash of brown caught my eyes as I slowly inched closer, trying to sneak up on the cause of the sound. _Is it...?_

When I had just reached the bush, my ears picked up strained mutterings. My heart pounded as I listened to the voice.

"Stupid bush! Stop...snagging the dress!" The voice growled in frustration. I inched closer to the voice, entering the bushes as silently as I could. "I haven't worn this thing since my fifteenth birthday and actually _plan_ to wear it again!" My eyes widened as I spotted Kotone, her back facing me as she tried to free her dress' skirt from the clutches of the dense undergrowth. Her Dragonair was nowhere to be seen.

_There you are..._ I smirked as I crouched to the ground, slowly sneaking up on her as a Persian hunts a Rattata. _That's it...Keep your focus on the bush..._ I was only a few feet away now, my heart racing as I readied myself for an attack.

"I swear, I'm never walking this path again! I'll be sticking to the road _often_ taken instead of this thorn-infested nightmare!" _Three..._ She let out a groan as she continued to pull, completely oblivious to my presence. _Two..._ She stopped tugging for a moment to push some of the rogue curls out of her face, tucking them behind her ears. _One..._

"I've got you now, Kotone!" I leaped to my feet, launching myself at her as she let out a terrified scream. I slammed into her, forcing her back into the bush and freeing the skirt from the thorns. She hit the ground on her back with a thud; I wasted no time in tearing off the belts and tossing them aside before pinning her firmly to the ground. Her hazel eyes wide she gasped for air, my mouth wide with a probably insane-looking smirk.

She simply fought for her breath for a while, squirming and struggling under me as she tried to run away again. "You're not going _anywhere_, Kotone. I'm not letting you escape a second time!"

"S-S-Silver!?" Her voice came out as a frantic yell, her eyes darting from my face to her pinned wrists. "Get off of me!"

I simply laughed and gave her wrists a squeeze, stalling time until Mangezone gave the signal to the rest of the search party. "Yeah right! I'm not just going to let you run off to Viridian City, Kotone! You'll be staying _right_ here."

She let out a growl before glaring at my eyes, her face growing red. "Get off! I won't run away, I swear! _Please_ get off of me!"

I rolled my eyes and gave her an amused chuckle. "Oh, yeah. Like I'm going to fall for _that_! How _dumb_ do you think I am?!" _Man, I feel great! I'm certain I can hold her off; she isn't even squirming as much as last time!_

She lifted her head off the ground, still glaring at me. "Silver! I'm serious! Get off of me! I'm not going to run away!"

We both looked at the skies as a sudden high-pitched frequency came from above our heads. Magnezone was flashing the blue light for a few seconds before giving off a flash of both red and blue, signalling to my Pokémon that I had found her. I laughed and looked back at her to find her looking scared as she still tried to escape.

"Pretty soon, my team will be here to help take you back home where you belong! You're not escaping this time, Kotone!" She let out another groan before glaring back at me.

"That's just it, Silver! I'm _trying _to head home! I got stuck in the bush and Blitz is around here somewhere! I'm trying to go home!" I raised an eyebrow at her for a moment, baffled by her strange angle of trying to escape me.

"Ah," I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "You're trying the whole 'I'm on your side so please let me go' technique!" Her mouth dropped open as I chuckled. "I've got to hand it to you, at least you're trying something a little more complicated than just yelling at me!" I heard the sounds of something coming towards us quickly and grinned wider, certain it must be Weavile dashing to my aid.

"Silver, you idiot! I'm telling the truth! I'm not _trying_ any _technique_, I'm trying to get home before dawn and _you_ won't get off of me!" Her face was bright red as she kept on squirming beneath me. I simply rolled my eyes once again as she kept on yelling at me. "Don't you have any _guilt_ about pinning a girl in the dirt?! C'mon! This is just uncomfortable and wrong and I just want to go home!"

"Wrong?" I scoffed at her as she still tried to struggle against my grip. "What makes me trying to keep you from running off _wrong_?"

"Because you're directly on top of me and you won't get off and you're cutting the circulation off to my hands and they're going numb for Ho-Oh's sake! _GET OFF OF ME!_" I bit my lip, thinking hard about her complaints.

Then it hit me like a Thundershock to the face.

_I_ was directly on top of _her_. _She _was below _me_. My face burned as I suddenly realized how small the space was between us. _CRAP SILVER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT?!_ I opened my mouth to speak when Weavile burst through the trees with Feraligatr on his heels, giving me an excuse to get off of her and hide my face from the embarrassment. "Silver! We're here and..."

Weavile voice faded as he looked from the still lying there Kotone to my scarlet face, then back again with a smirk. "Just how long were you pinning her for us, anyway?"

"J-Just sh-shut up and gr-grab her!" Feraligatr nodded and snatched Kotone up, ignoring her yells and thrashing. Weavile burst into maniacal laughter, rolling on the floor and pointing at my face. "Wh-where are the others?!"

"They're on their way over here right now, Silver. They should be here any minute—!"

A furious roar suddenly came from behind me, I turned around just in time to see a powerful Flamethrower being launched at me feet. _CRAP! I don't want singed feet! _I leaped back as Weavile jumped to his feet, Feraligatr backing up and tightening his grip on Kotone. "Back off my Koto, you son of an Arcanine!" Kotone's Typhlosion burst out of the trees, slashing the air in a frenzy as the flames on his back flared up to an unbelievable height. _Oh crap, it's the fire-bear!_

"Blitz!" I turned to see Kotone smiling with relief at the sight of her starter, I growled before turning to Weavile as he prepared to engage in a battle with the erupting Volcano Pokémon. "Blitz, I'm so glad to see you!"

Growlithe and Gengar leaped out of the bushes behind Feraligatr, snarling as they put themselves between me and the infuriated starter. Honchkrow dove out of the sky, landing close to Weavile with a menacing glare. "All of you, out of my way!" The Pokémon let out another roar, swiping the air with his powerful forepaws. "Let her go this instant, you poor excuse for a human! You might as well be a stupid Rattata, because you're nothing but a—!"

"Blitz!" The starter stopped and turned to his trainer as she still squirmed in Feraligatr's grip. "Stand down, buddy."

"What?!" It seemed everyone in the clearing spoke at the same moment, Magnezone slowly floating down towards us after seeing _everyone_ had found me already.

She gave him a nod. "You heard me. Silver says he's trying to take me home and I believe him." I raised an eyebrow at her as she simply turned towards the two belts of Pokéballs that still lay on the ground. "Be a dear and carry those for me, Blitz. I'll be alright." The Volcano Pokémon stood there for a moment before glancing at the belts, then back to his trainer with a pout.

"But!" She let out a growl and shook her head.

"No buts! That's an order, Blitz!" Her Fire Type let out a snarl before picking up the belts and giving me a harsh glare.

"Silver?" I turned towards her quickly, noticing how her feet dangled in the air a little ways from the ground. "Could you _please_ let me go now?"

I cleared my throat and nodded, happy that the previous subject had been dropped. "Right. Feraligatr, go ahead." He let out a long sigh before easing her down to the ground, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you, Silver." She brushed herself off before rubbing her wrists gently; I could see from her just how pink they were where I had held them to the ground. I bit the inside of my cheek, angry that I had been so rough with her. "Now," She slowly walked towards me, patting Growlithe on the head as she passed him. "Are we going to head back now or am I sleeping in the woods tonight?"

"Right!" I fumbled for my team's Pokéballs, pulling off their capsules except for Feraligatr's, just in case this was another trap of hers. "Thanks for the help you guys, take a break." They nodded before disappearing into the red light, hurrying back inside of the devices.

Kotone gave me a smile for a few seconds before letting it fall off her face. "You didn't have to tackle me like that, you know. You could've just _talked_ to me like a normal person instead of screaming at me from the bushes."

"I didn't scream at you!" I couldn't stop myself from letting out a protest as she walked towards her Typhlosion.

"Yes, you did." She glared at me before clearing her throat and deepening her voice, poorly trying to imitate me. "I've got you now, Kotone!" She coughed at the strain on her vocal cords before returning to a glare in my face. "Ring any bells, Silver?"

I felt my cheeks grow hot as I remember how excited I was at that moment, feeling like I was stalking prey instead of finding a girl named Kotone. "S-sorry, I guess..."

She gave me a nod before patting her starter's back. "Apology accepted. Now, let's head home. I'm so tired, I might just fall asleep on the way back!" She let out a laugh as I started to walk beside her, still keeping an eye on her as we headed down the path.

* * *

***~~*Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

_Should I tell him now?_ I stared at Silver out of the corner of my eye as we walked; his hands buried in his pockets and his eyes glancing towards me every few moments. I gulped as I remained in my thoughts. _Now might be my best chance... Here goes..._

"Silver?" He quickly turned towards me, stopping dead in his tracks. I slowly stopped beside him as our Pokémon waited, Typhlosion with annoyance while Feraligatr looked at us with interest.

"What? I thought you wanted to get home." The last part seemed more like a statement than a question as he raised an eyebrow at me, his metallic eyes radiant in the moonlight. _C'mon! Just tell him! Tell him right now, Kotone!_

"There's...something I want to tell you..." I felt my throat grow dry as he narrowed his eyes, a small frown on his face. "Something I've wanted to say for a while now..."

"I'm listening..." He pushed down on his pockets, stretching the jacket down over his waist further.

"Silver, I...I..." My words seemed to float away from me, leaving me alone on the path to New Bark Town. His eyes seemed to grow wide for a moment before returning to their previous state, as if he was startled by my voice. "I...think there's something wrong with me."

His face fell for a moment as he looked as his feet, then back up at me with a serious expression. "What do you mean you think something's wrong with you?! Now's not the time for low self-esteem, Kotone!"

"No! It's not like that!" I shook my head as his Feraligatr let out a small rumble from his throat, Blitz quietly growling at Silver as if I didn't realize he was still angry at him. "I mean, I think Team Rocket did something to me back in Viridian City."

His eyes widened again, this time he bit his lip and looked up at the moon for a while before letting out a sigh. He then slowly lowered his head back to my face, still biting his lip.

"...I think so, too." My eyes grew wide as I realized he _didn't_ think I was crazy. _YES! Thank you, Ho-Oh!_ "I think that Hypnosis might've messed with your head or something."

"Yes! I think that Hypnosis might have only _half_-worked; after all, I don't remember a lot of things..." I looked down at the dirtied white sundress and frowned. "Like how I keep changing my clothes. Or when I attacked—!" I shut my mouth quickly, realizing I had almost reminded him of the events of his first pursuit.

"Like when you attacked me." He finished my sentence for me, his eyes not _seeming_ angry. "Relax, I know you wouldn't do that to me."

"...I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?" He frowned for a second and flapped his right arm, as if checking it for an injury. He slowly lowered it and shook his head.

"I'm just fine." He suddenly smirked as he went on, "It takes more than a fall to hurt _me_, Kotone. I'm just fine."

"Are you sure?" I picked up his right arm and examined it, searching for any wounds as his face grew a tad red. "It's alright to tell me, I can handle it."

He yanked his arm away and rubbed it defensively. "I told you, I'm just _fine_. Stop doting on me like that! You're like a darn housewife with your constant worrying!"

An awkward silence fell as he thought his words over. _Doting? ...Housewife?!_

"I-I didn't mean that!" His face glowed red as he shook his head, his Feraligatr releasing a sigh. "It's not like I was worried that you were gonna leave or that I felt mad that I couldn't stop you or anything like that!" His face burst into a deep scarlet as he processed his own words. "CRAP!" He suddenly raced ahead of me, walking angrily away as he fumed.

_Alright... That was weird._ His Feraligatr lumbered closer to me with a sympathetic smile. "Give him some time. He's been up since two in the morning; his brain is pretty scrambled right now."

"Um..." I glanced from the Big Jaw Pokémon before looking around Blitz to see Silver still fuming in the road ahead, standing still to wait for us. "Is something bothering him?"

Feraligatr nodded and gave a toothy grin. "He was really worried about you, that's all. He was really afraid that you might go back to Team Rocket."

"Silver...was _worried_ about me?" I looked back around my starter to see Silver staring at us, his face returning to its normal shade. "How come he doesn't just tell me?"

The blue Pokémon laughed and shook his head sadly. "You know Silver just as well as I do; that boy's more stubborn than a Tauros! He'll never admit to _anything_."

I felt a small smile as we caught up to Silver, the boy falling back beside me with a sigh. "I can see that."

"See what?!" He snapped his gaze onto his starter, his eyes glaring at the Big Jaw Pokémon. "What did you tell her?!"

The Pokémon snickered before rolling his golden eyes. "I didn't tell her anything."

"Yes you did!" Silver kicked up a cloud of dust, his cheeks puffed out in frustration. "You were gossiping back here, weren't you?! You better not be spouting some nonsense, otherwise you'll be in _major_ trouble you twit!"

Blitz suddenly let out a roar ahead of us, startling the three of us to attention. "I have an idea; let's play 'Shut Up Before the Typhlosion Turns You Into a Pile of Ashes'!"

That made things _pretty_ quiet for the rest of the walk home.

* * *

**Author's Note: Ah, the fluff. It's _everywhere_ in this chapter! Silver can be pretty crazy, huh? We _all_ know just how eager that guy is to pounce on people/slapped/ Yeah, how many of you thought she was going to confess in that last part? /sees probably a single hand/ ...Not yet. But I _meant_ to troll you right there with that. Here we can see the full amount of teamwork Silver has with his team! It's a big improvement from yelling at them, isn't it?  
**

**Owch. It hurt writing a sad Mamma Soul...a lot. Poor Momma Ursaring misses her baby Kotone Teddiusa and mean Cubchu Silver isn't the best at comforting angry Mamma Bears. owo" **

**Also, it's come to my attention that Chansey's Japanese name is _actually_ Luck. XD Well, that was unintended. I chose Luck because a game of chance requires luck and I thought it was a clever pun...Now I see it was a strangely _lucky_ guess~! /Hydro Pumped/**

**Headcanon that I've used a lot: Trainers can understand their Pokémon once they reach a certain point of friendship, meaning Silver's a bit closer to Blitz than he thinks if he can understand him~ **

**Also if you notice, Weavile, Gengar and Magnezone evolve in certain ways other than leveling. Let's just say that Sheldon, Rawst, Gengar and Magnezone know what it's like to have a trainer swap for a day~ /eyebrow wiggle and a laugh/**


	16. Chapter Twelve: A Late Night Confession

***~~*Chapter 12: A Late Night Confession: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

"You're back!" Kotone's mother literally shoved me aside to embrace her daughter as we entered the living room, the girl disappearing in her mother's arms. I looked away as an odd feeling rose in my stomach. "Oh, thank Ho-Oh for your safe return!"

Feraligatr let out a cough behind me, trying to get the woman's attention. I shook my head and headed towards the door, certain that the mother didn't want _me_ hanging around. I had just started to turn the doorknob when someone cleared their throat behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Kotone's mother standing there, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.

"And just where do you think _you're_ going?!" I let out a sigh and rubbed my eyes.

"To the Pokémon Center in Cherrygrove City. I might be able to get a few hours in before the sun comes up." Her mother laughed before shaking her head, Kotone giving me a small smile.

"Didn't I already offer you my spare bedroom? You _did_ eat my cooking, after all!" Kotone jumped and looked confused.

"Wait, Silver's sleeping here?" Her mother turned to her daughter with a pained look and nodded.

"Yes, dear. Your friend here has brought you home...twice. It's the least I can do for him!" Kotone suddenly leaped into the air with her arms up and a beaming grin on her face. _Maybe I should leave anyway. Kotone's acting crazy._

"Yes!" She stopped jumping and grabbed my arms, pulling me away from the door. "You're staying here with us! Oh, this is perfect! It'll be just like the sleepovers Ethan and I have!"

I pulled my arms away and frowned at her. "You let _him_ sleep at your house?!"

"Of course, silly Farfetch'd!" She waved a hand dismissively as if it were perfectly _normal_ for people of the opposite gender to spend the night at each other's homes. "That's what best friends do!"

"Best...friends..." The words felt strange on my tongue as I stared blankly at her, seriously doubting her sanity. _What did I get myself into?_

Kotone simply nodded, motioning Feraligatr and Typhlosion to come over to the staircase. "C'mon! I'll take you guys upstairs!"

I was just about to tell her that I had _already_ seen the spare room before when she pulled me by the arm, racing up the stairs.

Her mother's voice called out behind us as her daughter pulled me past her bedroom. "Kotone dear, no running on the stairs!"

* * *

"And here's the bed!" Kotone proudly patted the red comforter as I sat on the couch, ignoring her unnecessary tour of the room. "You'll be sleeping right here and I'll be right down...stairs..." Her voice trailed off as she lowered her head, staring at her feet.

"What?" I narrowed my eyes as she shuffled her feet, avoiding eye contact.

"It's just that..." She slowly looked up towards me, her eyes wet with tears. "What if I go crazy again when everyone's sleeping? What if I run off during the night and go to Viridian City?! I don't want to go crazy again!"

_...I'm worried about that, too._ The words didn't leave my head as I slowly stood up and walked towards her, placing my right hand on her shoulder. "What if your Pokémon stay out while you sleep?"

She shook her head and sighed. "I'd probably just recall them; that's what happened last time."

I turned towards Feraligatr as he sat on the brown rug under the couch, trying to rest. "What about if Feraligatr watched over you? He's strong and you couldn't recall him."

"But what if I make one of my Pokémon attack him?" Her eyes grew wide before she shook her head, scattering a few teardrops around the room. "I can't; I just don't want to risk hurting him!"

I growled and rubbed my temples, sleep deprivation slowly creeping into mind and making straight thinking impossible. "What do _you_ think we should do then?"

She was silent for a moment before giving me a sheepish smile similar to the one Weavile gave me earlier in the night. "Could I...maybe...stay up here?"

I choked on my own spit at her suggestion, making me pound my ribs with my fist as I coughed. "What?!" Tears blurred my vision before I hastily wiped them away. "Where do you expect to sleep, the floor?!"

Her cheeks lit up as she shook her head. "It's just until morning! That's only what? A few hours? _Please_, Silver! I don't want to run off again!" I felt my throat close up as I just stared at her, too shocked to speak.

I cleared my throat a few times before turning my face away, hiding the growing warmth in my face. "...Go...ask your mother, then."

She let out a gasp of happiness before dashing out the door, leaving me alone with a smug Water Type.

"You should be happy, Silver." He waddled closer with a smirk and pointed towards the door. "This is the perfect time to admit that you at least _care_ about the human female."

I snarled at him, my eyes slits. "You traitor. You told her, didn't you?!"

"No." He waddled back to the couch, climbing on top of it before any of his teammates had the chance to get out of their Pokéballs and stop him. "I just told her you were worried about her. I'll leave the actual confession to you, Silver."

I growled at him before storming out of the room, infuriated by his boldness.

* * *

"No." Her mother stood before us, her arms crossed against her chest and her face twisted into a scowl. "My answer is no, Kotone."

"What?!" Kotone's face turned into a pout at her mother, her eyes doing that..._thing_ that she does when she's begging for something. "But you let me sleep with Ethan!"

My face burned at her choice of words, making me turn my back towards them. _Don't say it like that. Don't say it like that. Don't say it like that!_

"That was when you were six, darling." Her mother let out a sigh as she went on, "Things are different when you're older."

"But Momma! I won't be rude and I'll be nice! Silver's nice to me! C'mon! What if I try to leave again?" _Oh, stop talking! You're making it worse, you idiot!_

"Then you can take Luck in your room with you. She can watch you tonight." I looked over my shoulder at the two, Luck giving a furious nod in agreement.

"But Momma, Luck is well...you know..." Kotone poked the pink Pokémon in the belly, making it giggle as it swayed back and forth from the slight nudge. "I could easily move her if I wanted to! I've been able to push her since I was seven!" Luck simply nodded and turned towards the woman with a grin.

"...But you can't sleep with _him_." She pointed at me with a frown, creating a small burst of anger inside of me as she did so. _Oh, what's wrong with me, huh? I've saved your daughter's rear twice now, you ungrateful woman!_

"What if Luck stayed with us too?" I slammed my palm into my forehead and looked back at the stairs, frustrated with Kotone's pleas. _Great, a Pokémon chaperone. Just what I've _always _wanted!_ "She can stay with us and make sure we don't fight!" ..._Fight?! Please tell me she's joking!_

"I'm not worried that you two will _fight_, Kotone." Her mother stopped abruptly and sighed. _Please tell me Kotone knows what she's talking about. What idiot doesn't know what she's implying here?!_

"Please Momma! _Please_ let me stay with him! _Please_?!" My face grew warm again as I started shifting my weight from my heels to my toes, lifting myself before leaning backwards. _Please stop begging to stay with me. Please stop begging to sleep in the same room as me. Please just drop the subject and go to bed!_

Her mother was silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "Alright, I guess one night won't kill me. Take Luck with you and _make sure_ that all of your Pokémon are out when you tuck in." Kotone let out a cheer as I groaned. "That goes for _both_ of you." _What's her issue?! I rescue her daughter and she acts like I'm some monster who'll eat her offspring for a midnight snack!_

"Thank you, Momma!" I heard the distinct sound of Kotone giving a peck on her mother's cheek before walking towards the stairs. "C'mon, Silver! Maybe we can fall asleep before it hits two!" _Oh, Lugia... What do I do with this girl?!_

* * *

"Alright, guys!" Kotone released her Pokémon, allowing them to find a spot among my own team for a place to sleep. She had brought up as many pillows as she could carry, claiming that the Pokémon deserved to sleep comfortably like the rest of us. "Bedtime!"

Naturally, her Typhlosion was sending me daggers from the bottom of the bed, growling at me when his trainer's back was turned. I just stuck out my tongue at the beast when Kotone wasn't looking. "Silver, did you hear me?"

I snapped out of my little feud with the Volcano Pokémon, turning to Kotone in confusion. "What'd you say?"

She shook her head and pointed at Luck—who had made herself comfortable on the foot of the bed. "She's already out cold; you won't have to worry about her much. She spoils me _rotten_, I could get away with murder if I wanted to!" Her cheery smile suddenly faded as she picked up her red pajamas from off of the couch. "Not that I'd _ever_ want to do _that_!"

"Uh huh. Great to know." I rolled my eyes and placed my Pokégear on the nightstand once again, trying to prepare myself for the meager amount of sleep I would receive tonight—if I managed to sleep at all.

"I'm going to go change, be right back~!" Kotone quickly slipped out the door, heading to that bathroom in the hallway I had recently managed to find.

Weavile let out a snicker as I sat on the edge of the bed, falling back onto the soft surface with a grunt. "Aren't you the lucky one? Getting _permission_ to sleep next to Kotone!" I growled as my cheeks warmed for the hundredth time that day, grabbing a pillow and shoving it over my face.

"Shut up, Weavile! Could you quit taunting me for five minutes of our lives?!" My yell was muffled by the fabric, but audible nonetheless. His laughter quickly stopped as the door creaked open.

"Silver? ...Why do you have a pillow over your face?" Footsteps grew closer before my cotton shield was snatched off my face. I just glared at her as I let out a sigh.

"I'm exhausted. Pick which side of the stinkin' bed you want so I can go to sleep!" I sat up and rubbed my temples again as she nodded, ignoring my foul attitude as usual.

I heard the creaking of springs behind me as she undoubtedly fell back into the bed from a standing position, letting out a small laugh. The creaking grew closer for a moment, then farther away before stopping altogether. "Found it!"

I turned around as I scowled. "Found what?" She was lying on her stomach with her arms spread wide as she hummed.

"Found the sweet spot, of course! Every bed has that one spot that you sink into and I've found it!" I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes.

"Good for you." I slowly crawled up to the exact same spot I had nearly fallen asleep in the first time, covering myself with the blankets hastily. "I swear if you touch me, I will let Feraligatr scald you with hot water." Her Typhlosion suddenly let out a growl, shaking the bed with his voice.

"If you touch _her_, I'll burn every hair off of your stupid head! Then, I'll burn any other hair you happen to have, jerk!" I cringed and buried my face into the pillow, seriously regretting allowing her to ask her mother in the first place. _Like I want to touch her, idiot._

"Could someone get the lights, please?" The bed shifted beside me as Kotone climbed under the blankets, tucking herself in for the night. Weavile slowly made his way to the lightswitch and clicked it off while smiling that taunting grin of his. I groaned as he went back to his spot on the pile of pillows. "Thank you, Weavile~!"

I let out a sigh as all grew quiet, the only sounds coming from the already-sleeping Pokémon's snores. I closed my eyes and smiled. _Ah, now I can get some sleep._

"Silver?" _I spoke too soon._ The bed shifted again as Kotone most likely rolled towards me.

"What?!" My voice was mainly a growl as I scooted closer to the left edge of the bed, hoping to keep my distance from her.

"Are you seriously going to sleep in your clothes?" Her voice was as if she asked me if I was serious on planning to beat her in a battle someday, acting as if the question she asked was _completely_ ordinary. _WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!_

"Wh-what do you want me to sleep in, my underwear?!" I curled up in my spot, my face burning at the thought of me having to be in anything _other_ than my clothes in front of this girl.

"N-no!" I could literally hear her embarrassment in her voice as it cracked, squealing higher at the end. "Don't you have pajamas or something?!"

"No! Pajamas are for weaklings who can't stand the thought of having to be the _tiniest_ bit uncomfortable when they go to sleep at night!" _Even if I _did_ have pajamas, I wouldn't wear them around_ you_. I know better than to just waltz around in your sleepwear!_

"...Aren't you hot in your jacket, though? It looks like you'd get warm really fast with it being such a dark color and all..." _IS SHE TRYING TO MAKE MY FACE EXPLODE?!_ My face felt like it was on fire, from discomfort or anger...I have no idea.

"If I take off the stupid jacket, will you shut up and go to sleep?!"

She was quiet for a moment before the bed shook again, most likely as she nodded. "Yes, I'll go to sleep."

I sat up and pulled the jacket off of my head and flung it to the floor with a grunt. I avoided looking at her as I burrowed under the blankets once again, curling up to keep warm. _Stupid girl with her endless questions and her dumb demands!_

Things were quiet once again as I felt sleep beckoning me to its awaiting arms. My eyes slowly closed as I let out a peaceful sigh. _Sleeeeeeep. Must... Sleeeeeep._

"Silver?"

I let out a long growl of frustration as I rolled over to glare at her. "What in the world could you _possibly_ want now—?!" I slammed my mouth shut as I saw her face, which was the only thing _not_ covered up under the heavy blankets. Her cheeks were a slight shade of pink, her eyelids drooping as she snuggled the pillow. _She looks like a baby Pokémon when they're trying to keep warm in the winter; so small and cu_—_WOAH, SILVER. Don't go there!_

"I know you're going to laugh at me, but I can't sleep without a stuffed Pokémon. I need something to hold in my arms when I go to sleep, otherwise I just can't fall asleep." Her eyes lifted towards me for a moment before falling back to the mattress.

"Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow as she pulled the blankets over her mouth as her face became a brighter shade of pink. "How childish _are_ you?!

"...Sorry. I-I shouldn't have asked." She slowly curled up as if she was trying to hide from me, her voice muffled by the thick fabrics. "You can go to sleep now."

_...What should I do? ...She'll probably be up all night without it if she's so reliant on the dumb doll._ I poked her in the shoulder, making her jolt. "...Look, if I go get one of those dolls of yours, will you go to sleep?"

Her eyes grew wide as she uncovered her mouth to show me a small smile. "Promise!"

I let out an annoyed groan before slowly rolling to the edge of the bed, nearly falling out of it. I slowly dragged my feet across the floor, unable to believe I was _actually_ doing this of my own free will. _What's wrong with me?! Can't I just ignore the girl and get some sleep?_ The door creaked open; I quietly walked down the steps towards her room, hoping I didn't wake up her mother.

When I finally reached her room, I shut the door behind me and turned on the lights. _Sweet Lugia! They're everywhere!_ Her room _literally_ had a shelf that stretched across every wall, an army of Pokémon dolls occupying the wooden surface. There was practically any Pokémon you could find in Johto, including the starters. Heck, I even saw a few Kanto Pokémon in the mix! _Which one should I grab?!_

I started to reach for a Cyndaquil before turning my attention to her still-open window. I groaned and headed towards it, not wanting any Hoothoot to fly inside of her room. I slammed it shut and easily locked it with a flick of a small latch. I then noticed a small patch of blue in the corner of my eye. Turning towards her bed, I recognized the Totodile doll from earlier in the evening. I slowly walked over to it, picking it up gently to examine it.

_It's pretty lifelike..._ I turned it over in my hands, brushing a hand against the soft spikes on its back. _It looks just like a real Totodile, only way softer and this one can't actually bite you like the real thing does._ A smile came across my face as I remembered when Feraligatr was still just a small Totodile, the Water Type waddling around on stumpy legs and not to mention sinking his teeth into me any chance he got. I turned on my heel and headed out of the room, flicking off the light as I slipped out the door.

I shut the attic door behind me, tossing the Totodile at Kotone—and hitting her square in the face on accident. "Here," I pulled on the covers and quickly dove under them, feeling as if I were heartbeats away from passing out. "Take the Totodile."

She let out a small hum, one of her happy hums that meant I did something she liked for once. "It's funny that you picked the Totodile, Silver."

I rolled over towards her and stared at her pleased face with a frown. "And what's so funny about it?!"

"Oh!" Her eyes grew wide before looking away, a faint blush on her cheeks yet again—hard not to, seeing how awkward our current situation is. "Well, this Totodile...reminds me of you, that's all."

"What?" My mouth opened slightly in confusion, my eyebrows furrowed together at her strange words. "How does that thing remind you of _me_?"

"Well," She puffed out her cheeks in thought before explaining, "You _did_ start with a Totodile after all. And well, you're kinda like a Totodile yourself; you act really tough but you're actually pretty sweet when you want to be!"

"I am not!" I grabbed my pillow and bopped her on her head, making her laugh at me. "I'm not like a stinking Totodile; I'm a human, not a Pokémon! And I'm _not_ sweet, darn it!"

She just kept on laughing as I turned my back on her, letting out an angry grunt. I felt a sudden slap on my right ear; looking over my shoulder I found Kotone sitting up slightly, smirking as she held her own pillow.

"You really are stubborn, aren't you?" She slowly shook her head before returning her pillow back to its rightful place under her head and returning to her curled position. "Goodnight, Silvy~!"

I growled at her before whipping my head back towards the nightstand. "My name _isn't_ Silvy and you _know_ it! And I'm _not_ stubborn!" _Stupid nicknames and her stupid comments! I am _not_ a Totodile; if I had to be a Pokémon, I'd be something strong and awe-inspiring like an Entei, not some short, dumb Totodile!_

The gentle sound of even breathing met my ears as I continued to stare at the nightstand, waiting for sleep to return to me. After a while, I looked over my shoulder to see her fast asleep, the Totodile doll's face peeking out of her wrap of blankets. I let out a small chuckle at the sight; her face was calmer than it had been all day and she was far more quiet.

"...Goodnight, Kotone. And don't try to run off while I sleep, you annoying pest." I turned away just as a faint smile came across her face.

Shutting my eyes and sinking into the pillow beneath me, I let out a small sigh before falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note: Look at all that fluff! Those two are drowning in fluffy fluff! And yes, I compare Silver to a Totodile because Totodiles are exactly as Kotone says, adorable yet try to act all mean and tough and in the end are just big ol' softies~  
**

**And yeah...Luck isn't the best chaperone, huh?**


	17. Chapter Twelve Extra: Sing, Little Bird

**Author's Note: This is a ****_deleted_**** extra, mainly because I favor a certain brunette's dream sequence over the redhead's. (Sorry Silv, nothing personal.) This ties in with the next chapter, but is not required for the story. I've decided to keep it to let you guys enjoy the fluff inside and the sass of Weavile. So, without any further explaination, the only ****_deleted extra_**** of ****_"SoulSilver—Blast Off!"_****!**

* * *

***~~*Chapter 12 Deleted Extra: Sing, Little Bird: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I found myself inside of the dark maze that is Viridian Forest, my father standing just a few yards away in front of the first tree in the forest—the one that warns you of hidden items in the grass. I raced towards him, still furious at him for the events long since past us. He turned to me with a smile while holding a small, golden birdcage. "Isn't it lovely, son? She sings like an angel."

I snarled at him, pushing the cage away from my face without even so much as glancing at the imprisoned creature. "I don't _care _about your stupid bird! All I care about is teaching you a lesson you—!"

He cut me off with a harsh glare, his grey eyes as sharp as coals. "This isn't a _bird_, Silver; she's much more than that."

I gave the cage a quick glance to find _Kotone_ inside of it, the girl shrunk to the size of a Pidgy. _Kotone!? How could she_—_?!_

"What did you do to her?!" He simply frowned and turned his back to me, ignoring me completely. He then started to poke his right index finger inside of the cage, giving her a devious smirk.

"C'mon, little one, sing for me~! Just a small song will do!" Kotone shook her head furiously, her eyes wet with tears and horrified by the intimidating man before her. "Don't be shy, just sing!"

A bout of familiar, Murkrow-like laughter met my ears, making me look behind me to find the cause of the noise. In raced Proton with Archer and Petrel, smiles on their faces. I growled as Proton stopped beside me, letting the other two run to Giovanni's side and smile at Kotone inside of the cage.

"Isn't it wonderful?" He gave me a toothy grin, cocking his head as I clenched my fists. "She's quite the pretty little thing, isn't she?"

I shoved him away from me, snarling at him in raw hatred of this _insane_ man. "You leave her alone right now! If you don't, I swear I'll rip you to shreds!"

He simply laughed at my threat, walking over to the cage and grinning at the utterly terrified girl within. "Hello, little Kotone-bird! Would you like a treat? Hmm?"

I stormed over to them, snatched the cage out of their hands and held it above my head, protecting her from these horrible men. "Get the heck out of here, you utter lunatics!"

Giovanni's eyes grew wide before he hid them in the shade of his hat, preventing me from seeing the obvious fury he must have at my actions. "Silver, just _what_ do you think you're doing?" His voice was quiet; I knew from experience that he was thinking of the best way to punish me for my behavior.

Proton tried to hide his smile with his sleeve, an effort that was useless for his big mouth. "Yeah, Silver! You shouldn't take Daddy's things! You should know better than to steal from your own blood." Archer shot him a look, Petrel nodding in agreement with him as usual.

I slowly lowered the cage, taking a moment to stare at the small Kotone. She had a small smile on her lips as she wiped her eyes, taking a moment to compose herself. I felt a tug on the corners of my mouth and turned my attention to the angry Rockets before me.

"I'm saving her from the likes of you, that's what I'm doing." And with a smirk, I dashed away with the cage held closely to my chest, laughing as they yowled behind me.

I swerved through many different paths, confusing them as to make a clean getaway. When I was certain they had gotten lost in the dense undergrowth, I leaned against a large tree and slid down to the ground with a sigh.

"There," I gave her a small smile as she tried to stand up, her legs unsteady from my running no doubt. "We're safe now. They won't be bothering you anymore."

The small Kotone smiled, all traces of tears gone as she let out a tiny laugh. She suddenly pointed to a small door on the cage, the golden bars bound with a padlock. I lifted it lightly, examining the small object. I felt a small frown grace my face as I sighed.

"Yeah, that can't be picked... Maybe there's a rock or something I could smash it open with." I gently placed her cage down and started feeling the ground for any sizable rocks. Kotone suddenly let out a cough behind me, startling me from my search. I spun around, still sitting on the ground with a confused expression.

"Try your pockets." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she pointed to my jacket.

"Alright," I slowly slipped my hands inside, still baffled by her request. "I doubt I have a rock in here..." My right hand brushed against something inside of my right pocket, the thin object that was cold to the touch. I slowly pulled it out to find a golden key, the handle shaped like a heart.

Surprised, I turned the key over in my palm, unable to comprehend how the object had found its way into my possession in the first place. "Well, I guess I won't be needing that rock, will I?"

Kotone let out a giggle before pointing excitedly to the lock. "Open it! Please open it!"

"Yeah yeah, hold your Ponytas, woman. I'll unlock it soon enough." I shoved the key inside of the lock, twisting it as it let out a click. The padlock popped open before disappearing before my very eyes. "...Alright then, I guess things just appear and disappear randomly, then."

She smiled as she crawled out of the door and onto the ground. I turned to look at an approaching Spinarak, silently begging it to get away from me. When I glanced back at her, she had somehow returned to full size.

"Thank you, Silvy~!" She tackled me in a hug, leaving me blinking at her as my face warmed.

"I-It's nothing, honestly. You would do the same for me, right?"

She gave another giggle before pulling away slightly so as to be face-to-face. "I have to thank you somehow... A girl doesn't just walk away after being saved from a cage."

I waved a hand at her, dismissing the matter. "It's nothing. Seriously, stop making a big deal about it! Honestly, you're so annoying sometimes!"

A devious smile stretched across her face as she slowly moved her face closer to me. "What if I kissed you?" She gave a playful laugh as my face started to burn. "Would _that_ be thanks enough for you?"

"U-Uh...Y-You don't have to do that, honest!" I gulped as she nuzzled my cheek, acting more like a Pokémon than a human. "Kotone, stop!"

"I don't want to." She was right by my ear now, chuckling as my heart slammed into my ribcage. "And _you_ can't make me."

"Silver!" A familiar voice rang in my ears, although it certainly wasn't hers.

"What? Who the heck is—!"

* * *

I opened my eyes to find Weavile shoving my side, his eyes wide with panic. "Silver, wake up!"

I quickly sat up, my face still warm even after I realized it had all been one of those crazy 'you don't take good enough care of yourself' dreams. "What's going on?! Where is she?!"

Weavile climbed onto the bed and pointed to a thrashing lump in the blankets, small groans coming from the cocoon of fabrics. "She's been flopping around like a Magicarp for a while now; I tried to wake her up, but she won't get up!"

_Crap! What do I do now?!_ I nudged Kotone as she rolled over, her face wet with sweat. "Kotone? Hey, wake up idiot!"

"That's not going to work." Weavile crossed his arms and scowled at my efforts, acting as if I was the worst excuse for a trainer since...well, ever. "I've done that already." His face suddenly lit up as he gave me a mischievous smirk. "Maybe she'll wake up with a _kiss_, just like in those fairy tales Kotone reads to Ralts!"

My face turned a bright scarlet as he started making kissy faces at me. "Sh-Shut up! I'm _not_ kissing her, you pest! You get out of here before I make you wish you were never hatched!" I grabbed the pillow that rested between my own pillow and Kotone's, flinging it at him with a grunt. He dodged it easily and let out a laugh.

"You should! It would make her _happy_~! Girls _like_ it when you actually show that you care about them, idiot!" He snuggled up closer to Kotone, ignoring my glares of utter fury. "Seriously, stop being so hopeless and actually _try_ to make a move on her! I'm starting to think you'll never find a mate!"

"I. Don't. Want. A. STINKING. MATE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, scaring him into dashing off of the bed. Kotone suddenly let out a gasp and sat up, struggling to find air.

"Kotone!" I grabbed her shoulders as her eyes darted around the room, all color drained from her face. "Kotone, what's wrong? What happened?"

"What?! Oh!" She stared at me for a moment, her hazel eyes wide before she let out a long sigh. "I-I'm fine." She pulled out her right hand from under the blankets and brushed a piece hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Honest. I'm fine."

I narrowed my eyes as she avoided my gaze, choosing to stare at the Totodile doll with feigned interest. "You're a _horrible_ liar. Like really, _really_ bad at it."

She cautiously looked at my face for a heartbeat before looking back down at the blue Pokédoll. "I'm not lying. It was just a bad dream, Silver..." She gave me a small smile before scooting to her left, moving away from me. "I'll be fine."

I lifted my hands from her shoulders, raising an eyebrow at her off behavior. "Swear it?"

"I swear."

I let out a sigh before curling back in my spot, laying down so I could fall back asleep. "Alright. Goodnight."

She was quiet for a while before she slowly layed back down, the mattress creaking below her. "...Good...Goodnight..."


	18. Chapter Thirteen: Who Are You?

***~~*Chapter 13: Who Are You?: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I frantically scanned my surroundings as I found myself alone in a clearing, the trees dark and haunting as a low fog rolled in. I took a few steps back as I tried to see if any Hoothoot were around. I suddenly bumped into a solid form behind me, making me let out a small squeak of shock as I spun around.

A man in a large, black pinstripe suit stood before me, his eyes hidden in the shadow of a black fedora. He looked to be around his late thirties; his form was large and intimidating. I gulped, backing away from the man slowly.

"Wh-Who are you?" The man lifted his head, exposing a pair of dull, grey eyes. He let out a chuckle before waving me off.

"...You know who I am. _Everyone_ knows who _I_ am." He grinned as he cocked his head, lifting his right hand out beside him with its palm facing upwards. "The real question is, who are _you_?"

_What?_ "Who...who am _I_?" I shook my head and shoved my feet firmly into the ground, my eyes narrowing at this peculiar man. "I'm Kotone Soul, Champion of Johto!"

He simply laughed, his voice growing drastically louder as he went on before he vanished in thin air. _What just happened?! _Confused and unsettled, I turned around and started to try to find a way out of this dreadful place.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Yet another person stood before me, this one a boy with shoulder-length red hair. He was wearing the exact same outfit as the man, the pinstripe pattern making him seem even taller than he already was.

"Si-Silver?!" The boy spun around and grinned a devious smile, his once beautiful silver eyes now sharp and crimson in color. I took a few steps towards him as he nodded.

"What are you doing in that outfit?" I reached out to touch his shoulder but he simply shoved my outstretched hand aside as his grin grew wider. "Where are we?"

He gave a small chuckle, his shoulders jerking upwards with every laugh that escaped his mouth. He slowly stopped and held out his right hand as the smirk returned to his face.

"The real question is, who are you?" His voice sounded strange, almost as if the sounds were altered, making his voice sharper.

I gawked at him for a moment before shaking my head in disbelief. _Why is everyone asking me this dumb question?!_ "Silver! You _know_ who I am!"

"You're right." He slowly lowered his hand back to his side, his crimson eyes never leaving my face for a single instant. "But, do _you_ know who you are?"

I let out a growl and stormed over to him, stopping when I was about a foot away from him. "Stop asking such a stupid question! My name is Kotone Soul and I'm the Champion of Johto, your rival _and_ the girl who stopped Team Rocket from taking over Johto!"

Silver suddenly burst into laughter, making his whole body shake with the effort. His voice then gradually grew higher in pitch, the tone even sharper as his laughter seemed to be the only noise in the whole forest.

"S-Stop laughing at me!" I started to back away, anxiety starting to stab my gut. "Quit it, Silver!"

Suddenly, a flock of Murkrow burst out of the trees, their calls merging with his laughter. I covered my face as they swirled around him, their black feathers greasy and unkept. By the time I had uncovered my face, Silver was gone.

The Murkrow flew over the treetops while leaving only a swirl of still-falling black feathers behind. _Where is he? What's going on?!_

I heard a small laugh behind me, the sound unmistakably female. I spun to my right to see a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair that seemed to cover most of the left side of her face, the strands curling into chocolate waves. She wore a strange outfit similar to Clair's own attire, sleeveless and black. Hers however ended in a midthigh-length skirt, a black belt strapped across her waist while a pitch-black cape fluttered behind her. She couldn't be much taller than I was, her height most likely boosted by a pair of long, black boots.

_Who is she?_ I stared at her for a while, unsure if I wanted to engage in conversation with this odd woman. With a gulp, I finally spoke.

"Just who _are_ you?" I knew the question had lead nowhere with the first man, but I was honestly left with no other questions.

She gave a quick laugh before lifting her head to me, exposing a lone, blood-red eye that seemed to look straight through me. She gave me a quick smile, the seemingly sweet grin bringing another stab of nervous energy into my body.

"I'm the Queen of Team Rocket, that's who!" Although her voice was smooth, it seemed to drip venom out with every word. I shuddered and backed away from the oddly-terrifying woman only to be forcefully grabbed by my right arm. I let out a scream as I tried to pull away, her nails digging into my skin until it bled.

I finally tore away as she laughed, holding out her right hand in front of me to expose her palm. My eyes grew wide as I saw the Rocket insignia painted on her hand in what appeared to be blood. The edges dripped down her skin slowly while leaving deep red trails behind. I slowly looked to my arm and screamed even louder. The 'R' was on my _own_ arm now, a black substance leaking out of the symbol.

_WHAT IS THAT STUFF?!_ I tried to brush it away only to find it sticking to my skin, latching on and spreading like a wildfire. "What did you do to me?!" I lifted my head and let out a small gasp; both Silver and the man had returned, each standing beside the strange woman. "Silver! Help me!"

He shook his head with a smile, pulling out a small pocketwatch from his suit jacket's pocket. He clicked his tongue before holding the clock face towards me, the two hands on the clock spinning madly around the face.

"It's only a matter of time, Kotone."

"A matter of time?! For _what_?!" The goo was connecting to my chest now, the sludge quickly spreading down my stomach and racing towards my legs. The trio laughed, the man stepping forward with a smirk as Silver tucked his watch away.

"Your fate is inevitable, girl." The others nodded in agreement as he went on, "Accept it now and make it easier on yourself; embrace the power!"

"Fate?! Power?!" I shook my head and tried to run but found my feet rooted to the spot. "What are you talking about?!"

Silver smirked even wider than before, walking towards me slowly. He gave me a pat on my head as he laughed. "Don't fight it." He pulled off my white hat and turned it over in his hands before brushing it off gently. "Just relax and let it overtake you."

"Overtake me?!" I was struggling now, desperate to move _something_. "You're not making any sense! Silver, _please_! Help me out of this!"

He slowly shook his head and fell back into the line as his smirk faded, taking my hat with him. The sludge slowly crawled up my face, the rest of my body already conquered. _Please! DON'T JUST STAND THERE!_

"Just relax."

The woman nodded slowly and held out her bloody hand yet again. "It will all be over soon."

The man fixed his hat and cleared his throat. "Embrace it; your fate is something you just can't change."

Everything went black.

* * *

I sat up with a gasp and found my body drenched with harsh sweat. I gulped the air eagerly, trying to restore air to my lungs.

"Kotone!" A pair of strong hands suddenly grabbed my shoulders, making me flinch at the touch. I frantically searched the darkened room as I tried to figure out my surroundings. My eyes focused on a pair of metallic eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness, the sight bringing a small feeling of relief to the back of my mind. _Silver? It's just Silver. I'm alright; it was all just a nightmare... I hope._

"Kotone, what's wrong? What happened?" His voice was surprisingly frantic, his eyes containing a swirl of something I couldn't quite make out. I stared at him as my breath slowed to a normal rate, his eyes seeming to put me in a trance.

"What?! Oh!" I snapped out of it, shaking my head slightly. "I-I'm fine." His mouth twitched as I pulled out my right hand, trying to calm myself by tucking my hair behind my ear. "Honest, I'm fine."

I looked away as he narrowed his eyes at me, diverting my eyes to the Totodile plushie that still rested in my hands. _It had to be just a bad dream... It couldn't mean anything._

"You're a _horrible_ liar." I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see him frowning at me. "Like really, _really_ bad at it." _And you would know, wouldn't you?_

I returned to staring at the Totodile's face, still lost in thought. _Nightmares are just nightmares; the are only visions your brain makes when it's still busy during the night...right?_ "I'm not lying. It was just a bad dream, Silver..." I turned towards him with a small smile, his face showing he wasn't buying my words one _bit_. I scooted away from him, not wanting to talk anymore about the subject. "I'll be fine." _I have to be fine. Nightmares can't hurt me._

He slowly raised his hands off of my shoulders; I glanced at him to find an eyebrow raised at me with his eyes narrowed in interest. "Swear it?"

"I swear." I couldn't help but lie to him as my words seemed to put him at ease. _I have to be fine; this can't mean anything. I've never seen those two before in my life and I _know_ Silver wouldn't act like that... He's not like that._ Silver let out a sigh before turning back towards the nightstand, pulling his blankets back up to his chest.

"Alright. Goodnight."

I softly swallowed as I watched him, his breathing slowly falling into a peaceful rhythm. _Just shake it off, Kotone. You know nightmares can't hurt you. They're just strange things your mind makes up, that's all._ I slowly layed back down, turning away from him as I hugged the Totodile doll tightly to my chest. "Good...Goodnight."

I stared at the blue doll, listening to the sounds of the sleeping Pokémon. I slowly looked to the foot of the bed to find Luck gone. _She must've went to sleep down there with the other Pokémon._ I started breathing evenly out of my mouth to fake the rhythm of sleep just in case Silver was still awake.

Lowering my head deep into the pillow, I rolled onto my back to stare at the ceiling. _It was nothing. You've just had a long and pretty eventful day today. Remember that nightmare you had when you were trying to get out of Victory Road? How Silver just laughed and raced past you for the exit, leaving you behind as an Onix wrapped his rocky tail around you? That never happened; nothing even remotely close to that happened._

I turned my head slightly to see Silver's side falling, the boy already back to sleep. _Silver's changed a lot since the day he stole Totodile; he's become a better person and a better trainer. Still, who were those people?_

I rolled back towards the window on the right side of the bed as a faint blue started to merge with the shadows outside. _It must be close to dawn, then. The sun will be up soon._

I sighed and squirmed in my spot of the bed, the mattress creaking below me. _I'll just stay awake; it's not like I could get any sleep now, anyway._ I felt my eyes slowly closing, the darkness too tempting for them to stay open.

_Just five more minutes. Then I'll get up._

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry I've been slow on the updating! I've been busy with my artworks and a few one-shots. "orz My apologizes. And it seems this is one of those freaky nightmares that show that something's really wrong with our heroine! owo/ Hurray! /Hydro Pumped/  
**

**Alright, so I'd like to take a moment and thank all of you for sticking around with me for so long. It means a lot to me to hear people be so enthusiastic about my stories! **

**Also, I'd like to point out that I have a poll on my page! It's a poll to see which PokéRival shipping I should write for next!** **The choices are:** **Conflict (Leaf and Green)**, **SoulSilver (Lyra and Silver)**, **NewRival** **(Wally and May)**, **TwinLeaf (Dawn and Barry)**, **Checkmate (Cheren and White)**, **Ferriswheel (N and White)**, **and finally**, **Jetamie (Calem and Serena)**.

**Voting ends on Sunday, July 27th, so vote now to see if your OTP is chosen to be the star of my next fic!**


End file.
